Attendants beat hospital staff in Hyderabad

Confrontation allegedly took place over visitors' refusal to wear masks

HYDERABAD: A group of men visiting the Hilal-e-Ahmer General Hospital in Hyderabad clashed with the hospital staff on Friday night after the visitors allegedly refused to wear face masks.

According to the hospital staff, at least four men, who had brought a patient to the hospital's out-patient department, began arguing with security guards and receptionist Anwaruddin when asked to wear masks before entering the healthcare facility.

"The guards, Amjad Khan and Mohammad Faizan, requested them to wear face masks before entering the hospital, in line with standard operating procedures (SOPs), but they became furious and began to abuse them, and later assaulted us," a staff member told The Express Tribune.

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According to him, the men called some five to six other persons and together they ransacked the hospital's reception, broke a glass door, a window, chairs and other furniture and stole cash.

"Someone hit my head with a chair and I fell unconscious," he said, recalling that the "violent men" abused and beat other staff as well.

Following this, the hospital's deputy medical superintendent (MS) Dr Khadim Hussain called the police who reached immediately and arrested four young men while the others escaped.

The hospital's MS, Dr Asim Mobeen, said two similar episodes of violence due to resistance over wearing masks had taken place at the hospital over just a few days.

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He said that he had requested the relevant authorities to increase security at the hospital, explaining that such incidents frightened doctors and other staff because patients and their attendants often resisted following SOPs.

Latifabad B-Section police have lodged an FIR on the complaint of Anwaruddin, nominating five persons, including Mudasir Yousufzai, Saddam Qaimkhani, Syed Talha, Umar Shaikh and Bilal Shaikh in the case.

The incident was also captured on video.