Video Editor: Prashant Chouhan
Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur Hospital in Bihar’s Madhepura was built at a cost of Rs 800 crore. But, COVID-19 patients admitted to this hospital are panicking and have started to leave, because of the dire state of facilities and infrastructure.
Migrant workers admitted here have been complaining of bad food, water, and improper sanitation.
“We are treated worse than people in jail. They got us here to kill us, not to save us. There are no doctors, it’s all on god now,” says one of the migrants at the hospital.
Dipak (*name changed) is one of several COVID-19 patients at the hospital. He says that they were brought to the hospital on a reserved car ,on 15 May, and faced no problems, initially, but got infected after living together in close quarters.
“Someone came from Mumbai, I came from Delhi. We were all kept together. No arrangements were made. After testing, they got us to Madhepura Medical College. We have many problems here, like food, water, living conditions. We get food at 12 hour intervals,” he adds.
No Doctors, No Medicines
The migrants claim that no doctors have come to attend to the them and no medicine is available either.
“We are in agony over the lack of food and medicine here. No doctor has come by and there have been no check ups either.”Anil (*name changed), COVID-19 patient, Madhepura
These workers also claim that they are not getting food regularly, but at an interval of 12 hours and that the quality of the food served is terrible.
“Look at this banana. We will fall more sick if we eat this. Look at this apple. We did not even get breakfast.Mushtaq (*Name changed), COVID-19 patient, Madhepura
'Forced to Drink Water From the Bathroom'
“They are giving us bathroom water. They say they can’t make arrangements. This (water) looks like diesel.”Dipak (*Name changed), COVID-19 patient, Madhepura
The Quint tried to contact Colonel Ahmed Ansari, the Superintendent of the medical college, but he refused to comment on the matter. Here is what he said:
“I am not the concerned person for it.”
The migrants, meanwhile, say that the situation has improved following The Quint's report.
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