Hospital staff suspended in Kerala after woman COVID-19 patient alleges molestation bid

Kozhikode: A woman COVID-19 patient, admitted to a private medical college hospital in the district, on Monday alleged a staff attempted to molest her at the facility. Police said a case of rape attempt had been registered, but did not divulge further details.

The hospital sources said the staff had been suspended in the wake of the complaint by the patient. The woman told TV channels that the staff of the hospital first sent some offensive messages and then tried to sexually harass her on Sunday night.

Wearinga personal protection equipment (PPE) kit, he had allegedly taken her to a deserted floor in the hospital, under the pretext of meeting doctors, and tried to misbehave with her, but she managed to escape, she said.

The woman claimed though she had complained to some doctors about the phone messages by the staff,they ignored it, a charge which the hospital authorities rejected, saying they did not receive any written complaint.

According to hospital sources, the woman was hospitalised on November 12, a day after her parents too were admitted to the same facility on testing positive for the viral infection.

Supporters of various political parties and fronts, including the ruling LDF, UDF and BJP, staged demonstrations in front of the hospital at Ulliyeri in the northern part of Kozhikode district, condemning the alleged molestation bid.

In September, a woman COVID-19 patient was allegedlyraped by an ambulance driver while shifting her to a first line treatment centre in Pathanamthitta district.