Health system collapsed during Delhi riots: Report

March 2, 2020
New Delhi: The Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (JSA) on Monday hit out at the centre as well as the Delhi government over the handling of the Delhi violence and said that the health system completely collapsed during the three days violence last week.

At least 45 people have died and over 263 people injured in one of the deadliest violence in northeast Delhi in decades.

Around 80 odd houses, more than 100 shops, five schools, petrol pumps gutted have been tabulated so far.

The violence started on February 23 when clashes between pro and anti-CAA protesters turned violent.

Addressing a press conference here, the JSA members also tabled two reports, which they prepared after visiting the violence hit areas.

The report titled ‘The role of health systems in responding to communal violence in Delhi’ highlighted the challenges faced by the victims in accessing and seeking health care during the violence and in its aftermath.

According to the report, “far from providing healing from the trauma that victims faced, the public health system itself ended up inflicting secondary trauma through acts of commission and omission”.

The report alleged that the mob prevented ambulances from reaching hospitals, compounded by a deep-seated sense of fear and insecurity in government run hospitals.

Addressing the gathering Inayat Singh said, “Eventually private and charitable health institutions became the port of first call for injured persons.”

She further said that instead of being cooperative, hospitals have been withholding information and instead asking families to go from ward to ward and room to room to check if their missing family members were admitted.

She said, “Injured persons who reached government hospitals like Guru Teg Bahadur and Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospitals reported that they felt intimidated by police presence in the hospitals given that several reports indicate the direct role played by the police themselves in the violence.”

She alleged that injured people also reported facing discriminatory remarks by medical staff.

Dr Harmeet Bhatti said that the dismal level of care reported by the injured persons included negligent care where treatment was provided hurriedly, patients were discharged without proper treatment and sent back to areas where violence was continuing.

Bhatti said, “A common reason for denial of care was the lack of medico-legal case (MLC) number and treatment record being provided to injured persons.

“No record of injuries or treatment were given to families and in many cases no details of history were recorded,” he said.

He also alleged that the behaviour of Delhi Police was bad and said, “As the ambulances carried the injured to hospitals, the policemen deployed there stopped the ambulances and even opened the bandages provided on the people with gun shot injuries.”

He said the response of the central as well as Delhi government was very poor to provide medical treatment to the violence victims.

The report also highlighted that the areas of Karawal Nagar, Jafarabad, Bhajanpura, Maujpur, Chandbagh, Shivpuri, Brijpuri and Khajuri Khas where the violence broke on Sunday and continued till Tuesday, in most of these areas Mohalla clinics do not exist and primary healthcare centers in some areas are lying shut since the violence started.

The JSA members urged the centre and the Delhi government to hit the ground and help the riot victims.
IANS