MP: People test themselves for COVID-19, gardener collects samples
What's the story
In an instance of utter negligence amid the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic, a gardener at a government hospital in Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh was allegedly assigned to collect samples for COVID-19 tests. Not just that, some patients were seen collecting their own samples while Halke Ram, the gardener, instructed them about how to insert the swab. Here are more details on this.
Details
All others at the hospital are infected, said gardener
Halke Ram said he was collecting the samples because all the other staff members at the hospital had been infected by the virus. "I am a gardener. I am not a permanent employee of the hospital either, but I am collecting samples because all others at the hospital have been infected (sic)," Halke Ram said, according to NDTV.
Clarification
The gardener is trained to collect samples: Medical Officer
Rajshiri Tidke, the Block Medical Officer, defended the move saying the gardener had been trained. "What can we do? The staff has got infected but work has to go on and therefore as an emergency alternative, we have trained several people including the gardener to collect samples," Tidke was quoted as saying in a report by India Today.
Criticism
Congress slams the state's Health Minister
Sanchi is part of the Raisen Assembly constituency, which is represented by the state's Health Minister, Dr. Prabhuram Chaudhary. Attacking Chaudhary, Congress spokesperson Sayyed Zafar reportedly said, "I am looking for a person who can tell me if the Health Minister has, in the past eight days, visited a medical college, held a review meeting and given a benefit."
COVID-19 situation
MP reported over 6K COVID-19 cases yesterday
Yesterday, Madhya Pradesh reported 6,489 fresh coronavirus cases and 37 more fatalities. The active caseload in the state stands at 38,651 while the death toll has crossed 4,000. Several states across India are currently witnessing a massive surge in COVID-19 infections. In fact, the country on Monday logged over 1.6 lakh fresh infections pushing the nationwide tally to 1.36 crore.