Male COVID-19 Patient Sexually Assaulted By Doctor Who Joined The Hospital Just A Day Before

In a shocking incident, a 44-year-old male was sexually abused by a doctor inside a hospital ICU where he was admitted with the deadly viral infection. The incident happened at the Wockhardt hospital in Mumbai on May 1, a day after the patient was admitted there.

What is even more shocking is that the accused doctor had joined the hospital on the same day the COVID-19 patient was admitted there and committed the crime on his first day at work.

BCCL

According to an Indian Express report, the 34-year old was recruited by the hospital after it allowed doctors above the age of 60 and those with comorbidities to remain at home due to the COVID-19 situation. The doctor allegedly entered the patient's room and made sexual advances after which the latter raised an alarm.

Based on a complaint by the hospital the Mumbai police have booked the doctor under IPC sections 377 (unnatural offences), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of diseases endangering life) and 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of diseases endangering life).

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However, he has not been arrested by the cops as they fear that he too might have contracted the virus from the patient. The doctor is currently under home isolation.

Meanwhile, the hospital has said that the services of the doctor have been terminated.

The sexual assault on the patient is more bad news for the Wockhardt hospital which just reopened on April 23. The hospital was forced to shut by the BMC after some 80 staffers including doctors and nurses were infected with COVID-19.

The staffers were infected from a 70-year-old man who was admitted to the hospital with a heart attack, who later tested positive for COVID-19 and died. He was reportedly admitted in the general ICU, along with other patients and two nurses who were attending him without any protection were the first to contract the virus.

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They were also deployed in other wards and even used the same vehicle for transport Even after two nurses tested positive for COVID-19 on March 28, the hospital did not quarantine or test others who had come in contact with them. Only after more nurses started showing symptoms and becoming sick the hospital began testing more of its staff.

Wockhardt which was one of the dedicated COVID-19 hospitals in Mumbai was shut and was declared a containment zone. It was only allowed to resume recently, after being sealed for nearly a month with just 30 beds to treat patients.