Video Producer: Shohini Bose
Video Editor: Ashutosh Bhardwaj
- A pregnant and bleeding woman, accused of spreading coronavirus, was asked to clean her own blood at a hospital in Jharkhand’s Jamshedpur. The incident culminated in the woman losing her child.
The aforementioned woman, Rizwana Khatun, said she had started bleeding on Thursday, 16 April, following which she rushed to the MGM Hospital. She has now written a letter to the Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Hemant Soren.
‘Abused on the Basis of My Religion’: Rizwana Khatun
Rizwana, in her letter, has alleged that she was abused on the lines of her religion at the MGM hospital. She has also accused the hospital authorities of ignorance, stating that had they taken timely action, her child could’ve been saved.
“When I reached MGM hospital, I was still bleeding. The hospital staff abused me on the lines of my religion and I was asked to wipe the blood. I was beaten up with slippers. I was shocked and rushed to a nursing home. There I was told that my child had died.”Rizwana Khatun in her letter to CM Hemant Soren
‘Didn’t Have Enough Money to Take Her to a Private Clinic’: Rizwana’s Mother
The Quint reached out to Khatun’s mother, Razia who accompanied her to the hospital. “We didn’t have enough money to take my daughter to a private clinic and hence we took her to MGM. There they asked me and my elder daughter to sit outside as they took Rizwana inside the ward. After some time, a nurse asked to bring a cloth. We had no idea why were we being asked to arrange for a cloth,” she said.
“We had no idea what was happening with her and then we suddenly heard her crying. We went inside and saw Rizwana in terrible pain. She asked us to take her away. When we started taking her away, hospital staff asked us to clean the blood.”Rizwana Khatun’s mother to The Quint
She also accused the hospital staff of discriminating against them on the basis of religion. “After they heard our name, they told us that we are the ones spreading coronavirus,” she said.
The Jharkhand Police has taken cognisance of the incident. “Investigation into the matter is underway and it’s too soon to say anything,” Jharkhand DC told The Quint.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)