According to reports, the patients kin also threw stones at the hospital. As many as 14 people have been arrested in connection with the violence
Photo used for representational purposes
The family members of a COVID-19 positive victim allegedly set an ambulance on fire and also tried to assault the doctor at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Belagavi Institute of Medical Sciences (BIMS) in Belagavi city in Karnataka after the patient died of the deadly virus.
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In a video that went viral, the ambulance can be seen engulfed in blaze and firefighters can be seen trying to extinguish the fire.
According to reports, the patient’s kin also threw stones at the hospital. As many as 14 people have been arrested in connection with the violence.
On Thursday, the BIMS staff staged a protest. Belagavi police commissioner Dr Thyajarajan said the ambulance was empty at the time of the incident. “The relatives of the patients were upset and set the ambulance on fire. There were around 30-40 people who tried to enter the hospital. A case has been registered and action will be taken.”
Outraged by abuse and assault on them by relatives of COVID-19 victims, the Karnataka Association of Resident Doctors (KARD), on Thursday, sought action against offenders and protection to discharge their duty without fearing for their lives.
“The state government should take stringent action against relatives of Covid patients or victims for abusing and attacking us, nurses and paramedics violently in the event of a death due to the infection,” KARD President Dayanand Sagar said.
Karnataka on Friday registered 5,007 new cases, raising the state's tally to 85,870, even as 110 more patients succumbed to the virus.
Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) has been identified to be the most common medical condition among the deaths, with fever, cough, and breathlessness being the main symptoms.
With 2,267 new infections in Bengaluru, the city continues to be the epicentre of the pandemic in the southern state, increasing its tally to 41,467, out of which 30,561 are active. Bengaluru accounts for 58 per cent of all the active cases in the state, similar to Thursday.
Meanwhile, on a positive note, 2,037 patients have been discharged, 746 in Bengaluru itself, increasing the total number of discharges to 31,347. Of the total 85,870 cases, 52,791 are active while the number of patients in ICU declined to 640.
(With inputs from agencies)
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