‘Are we animals?’: Patients in UP Covid-19 hospital protest against lack of water, food
The incident took place at the L1 category hospital in the state’s Kotwa Bani area after authorities reportedly failed to restore water supply.
by Scroll StaffCoronavirus patients admitted to a government hospital in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj district on Thursday protested against the lack of food and water at the centre, NDTV reported. A three-minute-long video of the same was widely shared on social media.
The incident took place at the L1 category Covid-19 hospital in the state’s Kotwa Bani area. The video shows a patient complaining that their condition was like “animals” at the facility. “You have turned us into animals,” he shouts. “Are we animals? Don’t we need water? People are dying without water.”
This reportedly happened after authorities failed to restore water supply at the hospital for two hours.
The patients also alleged that they were not getting proper food at the hospital. “It is all kaccha-pakka [half-cooked],” an elderly man is heard saying.
Meanwhile, others even offered money to authorities to provide them better facilities. “Take money from us if you don’t have it,” a female patient said. “Tell the authorities we will leave and go home if these conditions continue.”
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In a statement, Prayagraj Chief Medical Officer claimed that the water supply problem was resolved within two hours. “There was a problem with fresh water supply because of an electrical fault,” it added. “We called an electrician and sorted the problem in two hours. There is always water in the overhead tank but the patients prefer using fresh water for their bath. We solved their problem in a quick manner.”
Patients at quarantine facilities and coronavirus-designated hospitals in Uttar Pradesh have complained about mismanagement and inhumane conditions earlier too. Similar incidents have been reported from Etawah and Agra districts.
Last week, the state government had withdrawn its order prohibiting use of mobile phones by patients in isolation wards of hospitals. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav had claimed the ban was put in place to hide the “poor condition” of hospitals in the state.
Uttar Pradesh has so far recorded over 7,000 coronavirus cases and 197 deaths, according to figures from the health ministry.