Police in Rajasthan's Churu district has launched a probe after a Whatsapp conversation between the staff of a hospital, where they discussed about not providing treatment to Muslim patients leaked on social media.
The Whatsapp conversation from a group called 'Bardia Rise¡¯ was between the staff of Srichand Baradiya Rog Nidan Kendra in Sardarshahar.In the leaked chat, the hospital staff were making comments like "stop attending to Muslim patients all together" and "I will not do X-rays of Muslim patients. This is my promise."?
"Had Hindus been positive and the doctor was Muslim, he would never have attended to Hindus. I will not attend to Muslims in the OPD. Tell them Madam is not in," another participant said.?
After the chat was circulated online an FIR has been registered against the hospital Section 153A (attack upon any religion) and 505 (Statements conducing to public mischief) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and relevant sections of violation of Disaster Management Act.?
On Sunday, Dr. Sunil Chaudhary, an orthopaedic surgeon who owns the hospital, issued an apology through a Facebook post, saying the hospital staff did not intend to hurt the sentiments of any community. ¡°Our hospital has no intention to deprive any community of medical treatment. We apologise and assure you that there will be no cause for complaint in the future,¡± said the post.?
According to Chaudhary, the conversation was from April, amid the controversy around the Tablighi Jamaat event in New Delhi, and added that his hospital has never denied treatment to anyone based on their religion.?
This is not the first such incident in recent times, where doctors were caught talking about Muslims in the context of COVID-19.?
Recently, the principal of Kanpur¡¯s Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial Medical College, Dr. Arati Dave Lalchandani, was heard in a video saying members of the Tablighi Jamaat were ¡°terrorists¡±, but were provided ¡°VIP treatment¡±.?
It is because of them that we will go into this financial emergency, she said adding that the Muslim patients should be kept in solitary confinement in jails, instead of which the district authorities had extended them all hospitality, and placed them in hospital wards. After her rant about Muslims went viral on social media the Uttar Pradesh government transferred Dr. Lalchandani out of her post.?
Several patients have also alleged that they were denied treatment or were misbehaved by hospital staff due to their religion.? ? ?