Caught On Camera: Bihar Woman Health Worker Attacked For A Day's Absence

Grassroots health workers at Bihar's Jamui district threatened to boycott vaccination duty after one of them was attacked by a hospital's staff for not reporting to work for a day.

A video of a hospital staff member attacking the woman, an Auxiliary Nurse and Midwife, during an argument over her absence has gone viral.

The woman, who works in the Chakai block of Jamui, could not report to work on Wednesday. When she turned up on Thursday, she was rebuked and during the altercation, a hospital staff member also hit her.

The video shows a man and the woman shouting at each other. He then approaches her and throws a punch before others intervene and send him away.

Another video shows the woman sobbing and narrating the incident to officials as she is comforted by her colleagues.

A man, who appears to be a staff member from the hospital, is seen speaking to someone over the phone. He is heard asking an official to intervene in the matter as "the matter has escalated" and "no work will get done otherwise".

Another clip shows grassroots workers on vaccination duty gathered in front of the health centre with their kits, apparently waiting for action in the matter.

ANMs form the first line of the healthcare system in rural areas and play a crucial role in taking medical services to the most remote corners.

Their role is especially critical now as the third wave of the Covid pandemic has set in, triggering a spike in cases as governments rush to ramp up vaccination coverage at the earliest.

Bihar reported 2,379 Covid cases yesterday and two deaths over the past 24 hours.