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CoverStory

Doctors’ kin forceD

to live with

‘coronavirus stigma’

CMO office paper leak results in a nightmare for COVID-19
positive doctor’s relatives, reports Kulsum mustafa

UCKNOW: The leakage of an official document ple come and photograph their house from out-
from the Chief Medical Officer, Lucknow’s side. Media people started calling us and news
office, carrying the names, age, phone numbers channels bombarded us with questions. We were
Land addresses of a Corona Virus positive pa- being hounded like criminals.
tient’s relatives have resulted in widespread panic in There are several doctors among those quarantined
the state capital and also brought in its wake tremen- and the family say that they are all for ensuring that the
dous trauma for the 12 members of this joint family, liv- virus does not spread and so have fully cooperated with
ing in separate houses, located in two different locali- the health officials and also got their tests done and
ties of Lucknow. have imposed self imposed quarantine. But they sure
In-home isolation after testing negative for the COV- are angry at the document leak that has put them in a
ID-19 virus as a precautionary measure both the houses tight situation.
were sealed and police posted outside. But the leaked “This is in total violation of our Fundamental Right
document, dated March 12th 2020, from the CMO’s to privacy, we sure will take legal action but only after
office, has found its way to many WhatsApp groups the crisis gets over”, said one of the 12 relative who is a
which has unleashed unfounded agony on the already dentist on phone.
traumatized family. They are being flooded with hun- He said that while most of the calls ask for the symp-
dreds of crank calls at all hours of the day. They are toms, many who called presumed that they were in-
finding this an unwanted intrusion on their privacy fected too. He said that many times the overtones were
and fearing for their safety and well being. one of the blame for bringing this virus
It all started with the 31-year-old, Canada based But they are very angry at the way the document with
doctor testing positive for the COVID -19 virus. She their full details were so carelessly leaked and have
had come to India from Toronto to her in-laws home exposed them to public censorship.
in Gomtinagar, Lucknow on 8th March, along with “What wrong did we do? She is our rela-
her husband and one and a half year old son. She had tive, she came visiting us at a time when she
shown no symptoms of illness and spent the days had absolutely no idea about the fact that she
after her return catching up with the family. It was only was infected, she had passed the test for nega-
when on March 12, that she decided to go for what the tive at the airport, , “ an aunt of the patient’s told
family claim a ‘voluntary’ check-up at KGMC and tested Tehelka on phone “To hound us now as if we are crimi-
positive for the COVID -19 virus that all hell broke loose. nals is absolutely unethical and unlawful and we will
Her son and husband tested negative. definitely take this up with the authorities, at the appro-
Acting quickly the health department hospitalized priate time, “ she said.
her, quarantined the husband and child and prepared Meanwhile the CMO, Narendra Agarwal has ordered
a list of all those whom she had come in contact with. A an inquiry into the leakage and said that those responsi-
list of 12 members, living in two separate houses were ble for this leakage of the document, which he said was
prepared for testing they asked to stay at home. sealed essentially meant for the collection of samples for test-
the house. ing of the family members who had come in the con-
This same list was leaked to the press and went tact of the patient and for taking other precautionary
viral. Within minutes it found its way to various measures.
Whatsapp groups and family bombarded with
phone calls pan India. They even had some peo- letters@tehelka.com

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