COVID Warrior Doctor arrested for violation of COVID protocols and released after condemnation by IMA.

 

Kurukshetra, May 2 --- COVID warrior Dr. Lokender Goel, owner of Radhakrishan hospital, Kurukshetra, who was handling the maximum number of COVID patients in the town since last year was arrested by the police under various stringent section of IPC including 332/353/186/188/269/270/492/147/149 and Disaster Management Act, here today.

The arrest was made after the Haryana Chief Minister, Manohar Lal held a meeting with the district officer to review the health arrangements made there for COVID-19 patients in the district and scolded the Chief Medical Officers for various lapses. Chief Minister was here to condole the death of News Anchor Rohit Sadana at his residence.  

Dr. Goel was produced before Judicial Magistrate First Class, Tarun Chaudhary, within two hours of his arrest, and released on bail.

Indian Medical Association (IMA), Kurukshetra, condemned the action of the administration and warned that if all the charges against the doctors are not dropped within next 24 hours, “it would be forced to take some drastic steps”.

In an emergent called meeting at the Radhakrishan hospital under the chairmanship of its President Dr. Davinder Paruthi, IMA strongly condemned the action of the Administration. Former President of IMA, Dr. Ajay Aggarwal told this correspondent after the meeting that great resentment prevailed not amongst doctors but also amongst the residents over the administration’s action. He said that IMA felt that some COVID protocol might have been violated by the Doctor but that were for the sake of the patients being treated at his hospital.  

According to SHO, Kurukshetra, Davinder Walia, the arrest was made based on a complaint filed by Amrik Singh, PA to Deputy Commissioner, Kurukshetra, on April 27, last.

Amrik Singh in his complaint had alleged that Dr. Goel, who was tested COVID positive on the same day came to the camp office of the Deputy Commissioner along with 25 to 30 relatives of the COVID patients under treatment at his hospital and forced his entry into the camp office by pushing the policeman on duty at about 8.30 pm. He raised a hue and cry that his hospital, which is handling 80 COVID patients, is left with oxygen for just about an hour. In his complaint, he further alleged that on enquiry Chief Medical Officer found that oxygen was sufficient till 4 am the next day. Thus, Dr. Goel, being COVID positive not only endangered the life of others but also created unnecessary panic amongst the patients and their relatives.

Dr Goel’s wife, Dr. Monika, Director of the hospital, said that administration was acted biased towards them as they had filled a case of recovery of over Rs. 2.50 crore against the state government in the Punjab and Haryana High Court for the treatment of COVID patients sent by the government to their hospital in the first phase of the COVID epidemic.

She said that the oxygen tanker purchased by the hospital from their vendor was detained by the police at Karnal on April 27 for over 10 hours forcing Dr. Goel to go personally to the DC camp office when his telephonic calls did not have any effect, and the life of the patients was endangered. She alleged that later, district administration fixed only a daily quota of one tonne per day against the requirement of four tonnes, which they were regularly getting from their private vendor earlier.