Case On Hyderabad Covid Victim's Family For Livestreamed Doctor Assault

The Hyderabad police have filed cases against family members and friends of a person who died of Covid, for barging into a private hospital, assaulting a doctor there, and damaging some property -- livestreaming it all on Facebook. The attackers alleged that the doctor had "killed" the patient with wrong drugs and even botched up his death certificate. Authorities have now withdrawn the facility's licence for Covid treatment.

The assault took place yesterday at the city's Virinchi Hospitals, following which the Panjagutta police filed FIRs against 16 people, including the sister of the Covid victim.

Vamsi Krishna, a 35-year-old private employee, was admitted to the hospital on May 9 with COVID-19. Since then, he was treated by at least two doctors but his condition did not improve. On May 13, his family sought a change of doctor from an internal medicine specialist to a pulmonologist. However, the patient died on May 22.

Yesterday, five days after his death, Mr Krishna's sister Sashi Bhavani Vangapally, along with 15 others, reportedly entered the hospital, argued with the staff, and barged into a cabin and beat up the doctor who had first treated him.

The family alleged medical negligence as the reason for the death and went on to damage some computers and furniture, the police said.

The entire incident was livestreamed on Facebook.

"We are here to ask the doctor why he killed my brother with high doses of steroids. Why was he given wrong medication when his high-resolution CT scan report was merely 10/25 which shows moderate disease," Ms Vangapally said. She also pointed out other irregularities in Mr Krishna's death certificate. She claims the hospital offered to refund money paid.

Ms Vangapally and her 15 accomplices have now been named in cases filed under the Telangana Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage to Property) Act, 2008, the Disaster Management Act, and various sections of the IPC.

The licence of Virinchi Hospitals to treat Covid patients has, meanwhile, been revoked by authorities over the complaint from Mr Krishna's family. The hospital has to answer a notice sent by Telangana Public Health Department within a day.

This is the second time its licence has been revoked. It happened during the first wave, too, for allegedly overcharging patients. The Telangana government had issued a rate card for various protocols at private hospitals. At least 88 complaints have been received till now against 64 hospitals, with the government issuing showcause notices to them.