COVID-19 crisis: Gujarat govt debunks media reports claiming separate wards for patients of different religions

GANDHINAGAR: The Gujarat government on Wednesday (April 15, 2020) rejected media reports which claimed that there are separate wards for patients of different religions in Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad treating COVID-19 patients.

The Gujarat Health and Family Welfare Department took to Twitter and said, “These reports are absolutely baseless.’’

Some reports have appeared in the media that there are separate wards for patients of different religions in Civil Hospital Ahmedabad COVID hospital. These reports are absolutely baseless. — GujHFWDept (@GujHFWDept) April 15, 2020

It further clarified that the patients are kept in different wards based on their medical condition, the severity of the symptoms and age, purely based on the advice of treating doctors. 

‘’Therefore, reports appeared in certain media are totally baseless and misleading,’’ it said in a tweet.

Patients are kept in different wards based on their medical condition, severity of the symptoms and age, purely based on the advice of treating Doctors.
Therefore, reports appeared in certain media are totally baseless and misleading.@CMOGuj @civilhospamd @InfoGujarat — GujHFWDept (@GujHFWDept) April 15, 2020

The clarification came amid reports that coronavirus cases in Gujarat rose to 695 as 56 more people were found infected with the disease on Wednesday.

Of the new cases, 42 were reported from Ahmedabad, six from Surat, three each from Vadodara and Panchmahal, and each from Botad and Kheda, it said.

With this, the total number of coronavirus cases in Ahmedabad has gone up to 404, followed by Vadodara-116, the health department said.

Botad and Kheda districts reported the first coronavirus cases on Wednesday.

With 1,076 new COVID-19 cases reported in the last 24 hours, India`s tally of coronavirus cases rose to 11,439, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday.

Out of the total cases, 9,756 cases are active while 1,306 patients have been cured/discharged and migrated. Thirty-eight new deaths were reported in the last 24 hours, pushing the death toll to 377.