2 pregnant women hijacked by family after they test +ve

Kolkata: Two pregnant women – one from Amherst Street and the other from Tangra were allegedly hijacked by their family members while being shifted from the NRS Medical College and Hospital to the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) as both of then tested positive for the Covid.

The family members forcefully took the two women when they were on a transit from one hospital to another.

As the ambulance was leaving the main gate of the hospital, the family members stopped the vehicle and snatched the patients flouting the standard norms on the handling of Covid patients.

It was alleged that the family members of the patients threatened the health workers and the police personnel that they would ransack the hospital and finally dragged the patients from the ambulance.

They removed the PPE the women were wearing and took them away. Police have started to track the patients and their family members.

The hospital authorities earlier urged the patients' family members that the two women may be shifted to the isolation ward of the hospital which has been opened at the dermatology ward. But the family members were reluctant to shift the patients to isolation.

According to hospital sources, swab samples were collected from both the women on July 14.

Their reports came positive on July 16.

The hospital authorities were making arrangements to shift the patients to the CMCH as it is a Covid hospital, the family members alleged that the patients were not Covid positive and hence they would take both the women home.

Hospital officials tried to convince them that such a step will complicate the health condition of patients.

Despite appeals from the hospital authorities, the family members took the

patients.