Doctor narrates shocking incident of Markaz patients spitting & urinating inside hospital

After a sharp spike was seen in the COVID-19 cases across India, a shocking account of doctors in the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital has come to light. Doctors have stated that the patients who were brought in from the Nizamuddin Markaz have been resisting treatment and mistreating the doctors and the medical staff in the hospital.

Republic TV spoke to Dr Prabhat Kumar, who is a Resident Doctor in the hospital, said that there were three floors dedicated for COVID-19 patients in the hospital. On the second floor which held some of the patients who were brought in from the Nizamuddin Markaz, the patients indulged in gross misbehaviour on the first day.

"They were spitting all over the ward. We had given each patient a small box, a dustbin of sorts, to spit in, but they were intentionally spitting all over the ward," Dr Prabhat said. "They were also urinating outside the washrooms. Sometimes on the door, sometimes outside," he elaborated.

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On the first day in the hospital, there were roughly 27 COVID-19 suspects who were brought in to the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital from Nizamuddin. There was a language barrier with several of these patients since many of them did not understand English or Hindi. "It was difficult to communicate with many patients in the beginning," Dr Prabhat says.

"We had to conduct special counselling for these patients who came from the Markaz to make them realise how contagious the disease actually was. Senior doctors had to come in and explain it to them diagrammatically as to what repercussions their actions could have".

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Patients appear to be misinformed about the virus

On being asked as to why the patients were behaving in such manner, Dr Prabhat said, "We can't really understand why they were behaving like this. I think the problem is that they don't believe that the coronavirus is real. They are not accepting it. They think its some kind of a conspiracy against them and because of that they are spreading misinformation. Or maybe they have misinformed themselves."

Dr Prabhat also says that through their actions, these patients could have possibly compromised the health of several hospital staff. "If anyone of them also turns out to be positive, it would affect every single person on that floor. No one would be spared by it. It is completely unacceptable," he said. Dr Prabhat, however, also clarified that after several counselling sessions were held with these patients, the rowdy behaviour has been brought under control.

The question, however, looms as to why the doctors and medical professionals who are on the frontline in the war against coronavirus are being subjected to such health risks by a few.

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