Recently an incident of alleged religious discrimination came to light, where a Muslim pregnant woman of Bharatpur in Rajasthan who was in labour, was allegedly denied admission to a hospital by the staff over her religion. The media lapped up the incident saying that this was a direct consequence of the reportage over Tablighi Jamaat and how they had spread Coronavirus in the country. The husband had claimed that because of the doctor’s religious bias and negligence, they lost their child. The video of the Muslim man’s allegations soon went viral which eventually triggered internal politics in Congress.
Now, a video has emerged where the husband of the pregnant woman, Irfan Khan, who had then alleged religious discrimination in Rajasthan hospital due to them being Muslim, is seen admitting that he had concocted the religious angle.
In the video shared by Hindustan Times Bureau Chief Rakesh Awasthi, Irfan Khan is heard saying that no one mentioned his religion while referring his wife to another hospital in Jaipur, it was a figment of his imagination. “I thought if I weren’t a Muslim maybe they would have taken my wife in,” he says in the video.
“When my wife was being taken to Jaipur in the ambulance, she delivered the child but the baby died. When I saw my wife suffering and my child die, I felt that this has happened to me because of my religious identity. Had I not been a Muslim this would never happen. This was, however, not told to me by any doctor, but was indeed a figment of my imagination, Irfan Khan is heard saying.
Another video of Bharatpur. Irfan Khan says no one mentioned his religion while turning his wife away; it was a figment of his imagination. “I thought if I weren’t a Muslim maybe they would have taken my wife in,” he says. @vishvendrabtp @Soumyadipta pic.twitter.com/961QVU8KE9
— Rakesh Goswami (@DrRakeshGoswami) April 5, 2020
Irfan Khan had earlier alleged: “My pregnant wife had to deliver a child. She was referred from Sikri to the Janana Hospital in the district headquarter but the doctors here mentioned that we should go to Jaipur because we are Muslim. As I was taking her in the ambulance, she delivered the child but the baby died. I hold the administration responsible for my child’s death.”
Rajasthan’s Tourism Minister and Congress leader Vishvendra Singh, Rajasthan tourism minister, lashed out at the refusal of the doctor, currently posted as the Head of Department in OBS and Gynae department at the Government hospital in Bharatpur for refusing admission to the woman because of her religion.
This, within no time, triggered internal politics in Congress. Singh tweeted a video in which he stated that the woman was referred to the Janana Hospital in Bharatpur where she was refused admission by a doctor named Dr Moneet Walia. He added that the state health minister is also an MLA from Bharatpur.
Vishvendra Singh accused the Congress government in Rajasthan of trying to cover-up the matter. He said that he was a cabinet minister and does not speak without proof. He also added that just because the Tablighi Jamaat has been linked to a surge of coronavirus cases in the country it does not mean that citizens of the Islamic faith are going to be treated the way the pregnant lady was.
However, later, it became known that the Muslim woman was pregnant for the 7th time and was suffering from anaemia due to which she was referred to a different hospital. Journalist Soumyadipta shared the referral slip issued by the clinic which showed that the patient, the Muslim woman, was highly anaemic and on her 7th pregnancy which made it a complicated case.
As per the referral slip, the patient was suffering from Antepartum Haemorrhage (APH), i.e. bleeding prior to delivery. She was anaemic and on her 7th pregnancy. Hence, owing to the complications of the case, she was referred to the bigger hospital in Jaipur since the clinic was not equipped to handle the complicated case.
