Videos of health care workers being pelted with stones as they are chased away from a locality in India went viral on Thursday, taking the country by storm and garnering global attention.
The incident occurred in Indore, a city in India’s central Madhya Pradesh state, and the area was Tatpatti Bakhal, a hotspot of coronavirus cases in the city.
Of the five health workers, who were in the area to screen suspected COVID-19 patients, two women doctors suffered injuries.
While this particular attack drew attention, criticism, and action — seven people arrested in a matter of hours — similar incidents in other states such as Bihar, Karnataka, and Telangana largely went under the radar.
“Health workers facing violent attacks during this pandemic is the height of madness. Incidences of violence dent our confidence, and put us in doubt whether people in this country are even worthy of our efforts,” Dr Harjit Singh Bhatti, the president of the Progressive Medicos and Scientists Forum, said in a conversation with Anadolu Agency.
With several such violent attacks witnessed in India over the past week, multiple organisations representing health professionals have asked the Home Ministry to protect workers leading the country’s battle against the coronavirus.
On April 1, doctors at a hospital in the southern Telangana state were attacked by relatives of a COVID-19 patient after his death.
Medical professionals are not alone in the struggle, as airline staffers, who have worked tirelessly to rescue thousands of Indians stranded abroad, are also facing a myriad of problems.
Many who were part of rescue missions to severely affected countries such as China and Italy have been asked to vacate their rented houses.
Earlier reports said that the doctors treating COVID-19 patients have also been facing evictions across India.
“Neighbors are ganging up against airline workers who have been on rescue flights. Many have not been allowed to enter their houses and were forced to find other temporary accommodation,” Praveen Keerthi, the secretary general of the Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association said.
“It is interesting to see that this issue is more prevalent in metropolitan cities such as Mumbai and New Delhi. Around 35 to 40 of our colleagues have faced this problem in these cities. What is concerning is that they have not been helped by the local police.”
Keerthi confirmed that an Air India stewardess, who was on a rescue flight to the US, has tested positive for COVID-19 in the capital New Delhi. (Agencies)
