Nizamuddin congregation attendees uncooperative, may need police protection: Delhi hospital director

The director of Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital, where 188 people who attended the Nizamuddin Markaz are quarantined, on Thursday said that the hospital might need police protection as the patients are not co-operating with the staff.

"We may need police protection in the coming days as many patients are not cooperating with the staff. Although medical professionals are habitual to such misbehaviour by patients to some extent," LNJP hospital director, Dr JC Passey said.

He also said that the situation is alarming as many of the suspected patients are testing positive for coronavirus.

"We have 216 suspected COVID-19 patients out of which 188 belong to one group (Tablighi Jamaat event). We had received reports of 24 patients from the group, out of which 23 have tested positive. This is an alarming situation," Dr Passey told ANI.

He said that at times it gets difficult to manage testing at a fast pace with limited man-power to keep up with the incoming suspected patients.

"While I must say, we have sufficient equipment and beds, etc in the hospital, but the sudden inflow of hundreds of patients in the last two days definitely has caused some panic amongst the workers," he added.

Several people who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Nizamuddin area of the national capital last month have tested positive for coronavirus.

The total number of coronavirus cases in India climbed to 1,965 on Thursday after 131 people tested positive, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. So far, at least 50 people have lost their lives.