DM Of Agra Refutes Report That Said Doctors In Covid-19 Isolation Wards Are Left To Wear Polythene Masks 

The number of patients infected by Coronavirus are increasing across the country. Amid the crisis, many doctors and medical staffers are on their regular duty to serve the patients.

Agra district of Uttar Pradesh, where the figure has crossed 100, is being called one of the hotspots in the state.

On 14 April, Vinod Kapri, a former journalist and filmmaker, shared on twitter the screenshot of a report and said (as translated), “Doctors in the isolation ward of district hospital of Agra fighting against Coronavirus with help of polythene.”

The report that Kapri shared was published in Hindi daily Dainik Jagran on 13 April. Titled ‘This is the Indian medical system’ (as translated), the report showed a doctor with face covered in polythene, and said that doctors treating Coronavirus patients are using such improper ways to secure themselves.

The report also took a jibe at PM Cares fund. On one side, more than Rs 6,500 crores have been donated to PM Cares fund but on the other side, doctors working in the isolation ward of the district hospital have to use these masks, the report said.

At the time of writing this report, Kapri’s tweet had gained 354 retweets and 769 likes. Kapri’s tweet was also liked by Naresh Uttam Patel, Samajwadi Party President of Uttar Pradesh and Member of UP Legislative Council.

However, the official handle of District Magistrate of Agra refuted the report. In a reply to Kapri, the handle said that all doctors in Agra treating Coronavirus patients have been told to wear N95 mask as per the recommendation of the Indian Council of Medical Research.

The handle said that the doctor shown in the photograph is a paediatrician who doesn’t work in isolation ward. The handle tweeted that the mask and the polythene bag worn by the paediatrician is as per his own choice.

The DM’s version thus suggests that the doctor in the photograph does not look after the isolation wards for Covid-19, where wearing N95 masks and other protective gear is mandatory.