Shah orders action after docs harassed for treating coronavirus patients
Doctors' body says healthcare workers being harassed by homeowners, landlords
New Delhi: Union home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday asked Delhi police commissioner S.N. Shrivastava to ensure security of doctors who are facing harassment in the wake of coronavirus outbreak.
The home ministry's came house after doctors and nurses at All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in the national capital said they were being harassed for treating coronavirus patients, claiming that coronavirus could be transmitted through them.
The home minister asked the police commissioner to take immediate action to stop any such incidents, an official of the ministry said.
In a letter to Union home minister Amit Shah, Resident Doctors' Association (RDA) of AIIMS said that their colleagues who are involved in taking care of the Covid-19 cases are being asked to vacate their rented houses while some have been forcefully evicted from their residence by the landlords and house owners.
The association urged the home minister to take appropriate action against the eviction of doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals from their houses.
The harassment reports come after citizens across the country, on the request of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Sunday came out on their balconies to celebrate the efforts of essential service personnel in the fight against coronavirus.
The letter added that many doctors are now stranded on streets with their luggage, with nowhere to go.