In India, doctors evicted over infection fears amid expected flood of coronavirus cases
- A combination of virus stigma, poor health awareness and ‘herd mentality’ have been blamed for the evictions across the country
- They come as epidemiologists warn India could have 915,000 coronavirus infections by mid-May, more than the caseload for the whole world right now
But in the northern state of Rajasthan, a senior resident doctor at Jodhpur’s Ummaid hospital had just been evicted from her home over fears she might spread the virus.
“First, [the landlord] asked me not to use the toilet. Then he said he would disconnect the water supply and electricity connection because he wanted to renovate the house,” Ankita Mathur said.
“When I informed him that it would be impossible to find another house at such short notice, he clearly said that he wanted me to leave because he feared that I would put everyone at high risk of contracting the coronavirus infection.”
Cases of Covid-19 infection in India have ticked rapidly higher the past week, raising alarm over the ability of the world’s second-most populous country, with its fragile health care system and battered economy, to handle a future surge in cases.