This has sparked a controversy in the Uttar Pradesh state of Jaunpur, when a Muslim woman complained that a doctor at the district hospital would not offer her any medical treatment on religious grounds. The incident has provoked a mass discussion and has received a lot of attention due to the presence of a video of the alleged refusal shared on social media earlier this month.
The woman, Shama Parveen, a woman who lives at Biribari village, according to the reports, was taken to the district women’s hospital at approximately 9:30 pm on September 30, where she was delivered. According to the Chief Medical Superintendent (CMS) of the hospital, a female doctor who was on duty in the hospital checked Shama Parveen that night.
But on October 1, a viral video of Shama Parveen was uploaded in which she accused the doctor of declining to treat her, saying in the video, allegedly, that she would not treat a Muslim woman. “I shall not perform your delivery.” According to what was said in the video, she allegedly told the nurse that she would not like to go to the operation theatre and asked her family to take her to a different hospital.
Dr. Gupta, in his turn, replied that the doctor refused to make such a comment due to religious reasons. He said an investigation into the case had been carried out and the matter reported to the higher authority. The hospital has also stressed the fact that it does not discriminate against patients on the basis of religion.
In the meantime, two local journalists, Mayank Srivastava and Mohammad Usman, have been registered on an FIR by the police, allegedly transmitting the video on social media. The journalists have entered the laboratory room forcefully, filmed video footage, and damaged hospital property, according to the complaint of the hospital.
The political debate has also been triggered by the incident. The case was dubbed as shameful by Samajwadi Party MLA Ragini Sonkar of Machhlishahr, who expressed apprehension over the discrimination in healthcare due to religion.
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