An ambulance driver reportedly raped a 19-year-old woman who had tested positive for Covid-19 while being taken to hospital late Saturday night in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala.
Police arrested Noufal, the driver, and said he had been facing a complaint of attempted murder against him since 2019. Police also said that he had not received the required clearance certificate until joining the ambulance service run by GVK EMRI Emergency Response Services as a driver with the State Health Department. Pathanamthitta.
Police Superintendent KG Simon said the driver picked up the victim from Adoor, as well as another passenger, a 40-year-old Covid-19 patient. While the 19-year-old was to be admitted to a Pandalam Covid-19 First Time Care Center, the other woman was to be taken to an Aranmula COVID clinic. While Pandalam is en route from Adoor to Aranmula, the driver went straight to Aranmula, dropped the 40-year-old there, and then set off with the 19-year-old to Pandalam. The driver reportedly took the ambulance to a desolate spot on his way and assaulted her, before taking her to the COVID hospital.
Police said the driver apologized to her before dropping her off and told her not to worry about the crash. Police said the woman had filmed the exchange and told employees at the hospital, leading to the arrest of the driver.
The SP also confirmed the woman’s health is stable.
Health department officials say they typically plan for patients to be picked up together and transported to hospitals where there is more than one patient from a single venue.
“The driver’s chamber is partitioned and the driver is not assisted by any other staff or nurse when ferrying patients to the hospital. This is to restrict health care workers ‘ exposure to contaminated people. In rare cases, we appoint a nurse if the condition is critical. Both patients were healthy in this situation ‘the official said.
Kerala Health Minister K K K K Shailaja said, “It is a surprising incident, as the incident caused indignation from political parties and from civil society. It was asked that action be taken by the GVK Emergency Management and Research Institute which runs the ambulance service.
The Kerala Human Rights Commission and Kerala Women’s Commission have been demanding a police action-taking examination. The chairperson of the Women’s council and chief of the CPI(M) M C Josephine said that people with criminal backgrounds should not have been put on assignment to COVID. The event indicates that woman patients need extra protection when being transported to the hospital, she said.
