Ludhiana Civil hospital staff seeks ban on entry of NGO after altercation with its members

Ludhiana: A day after a research assistant at Ludhiana Civil Hospital was allegedly beaten up by members of a non-governmental organisation (NGO) Ek Zaria, the RT-PCR lab staff of the hospital refused to collect samples of patients as a mark of protest against the assault on Friday. 

The staff members demanded the hospital prohibit the NGO members from entering the premises. The assault took place on Thursday around 10 AM over an argument regarding chairs. 

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The incident took place when the research assistant was collecting RT-PCR samples along with his colleagues, who were all sitting on chairs owned by the NGO. When the NGO members asked for the chair back, the research assistant asked them to wait for some time. However, the members began abusing him and the tussle turned physical. 

Talking about the protest, Research scientist Pallavi said, "Our decision is to abstain from work and collecting samples until the ban on the entry of the NGO has been put into effect." 

The research assistant, as per an earlier media report in the Hindustan Times, had alleged, "I was attacked by Harinder and Ravi Ruaiel Masih, who used a chair to assault me. Additionally, they attempted to attack me with a brick." Following the incident, the hospital had conducted an emergency meeting on Friday. 

Assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Shingara Singh stated that they have received complaints from both sides, and are currently investigating the incident. 

A number of people who had visited the hospital to give the samples for RT-PCR tests were put on a spot, and many left in a lurch. The hospital collects around 50-70 RT-PCR samples on a daily basis. 

Expressing his difficulties, Jagjeet Singh, a patient who had come to give a sample, told Hindustan Times, "As my flight is scheduled for Monday and I came here to get a Covid test done, it’s worrisome that no tests are being performed at this time. Because it’s the weekend, I won’t receive the test results by Monday." 

Similarly, a police official also talked about the problems they have to face due to the suspension of RT-PCR tests. The officer said, "We had taken a suspect into custody and brought him to the hospital for an RT-PCR test. The test results need to be presented in court, but unfortunately, the hospital is not performing any sampling at this time." 

Senior medical officer Amarjit Kaur said, "The sampling process is expected to resume on Monday, and a replacement team will be assigned to ensure that the public does not experience any inconvenience."