The Congress and local organisations have been protesting the deaths of COVID-19 positive and negative patients due to alleged non-treatment in eastern Assam’s Jorhat. The protests peaked on Tuesday when the State recorded 2,886 cases of infection, the most in a day.
Former Congress MLA Rana Goswami led a team that protested at the Jorhat Medical College and Hospital (JMCH) for alleged mismanagement of the medical system. Organisations such as the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chhatra Parishad had staged protests against the “medical negligence in the name of COVID-19” earlier.
“At least four persons who were taken to the JMCH in serious condition died because doctors reportedly did not attend to them in time. They waited two-three days for COVID-19 test results to come by which time the patients have expired,” said Mr. Goswami, also secretary of the All India Congress Committee.
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Officials deny charge
Health officials denied any negligence on the part of the doctors or paramedical staff.
Last week, a group of citizens in eastern Assam sent a memorandum to Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma seeking their intervention in providing immediate and adequate medical treatment to the common public suffering from serious ailments.
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Till Wednesday, Assam had recorded 48,161 positive cases with 115 of them having died and 33,428 discharged. Health officials said they have been constantly increasing the number of people being tested daily — 59,064 during the 24 hours ending Tuesday night.
“What is encouraging is that the positivity rate came down to 4.86% after hovering around the 6% mark for a long time,” a senior Health official said, declining to be named.