India denies Covid-19 segregation in Gujarat hospitals on religious lines, slams USCIRF

 In response to media query on a tweet today by USCIRF on India, the official spokesperson of External Affairs Ministry, Anurag Srivastava, said, "No segregation is being done in civil hospitals on the basis of religion, as clarified by the Gujarat Government."

In strong words, he said: "As if its peremptory commentary on religious freedom in India is not enough, the USCIRF is now spreading misguided reports on the professional medical protocols followed to deal with spread of COVID19 in India."

"It must stop adding religious colour to our national goal of fighting the pandemic and distract from larger efforts."

Earlier media reports in publications like Indian Express and others said "the coronavirus patients and suspected cases at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, where 1,200 beds have been set aside for COVID-19, have been segregated into wards depending on their faith."

It quoted Medical Superintendent Dr Gunvant H Rathod saying that a ward for Hindu patients and another for Muslim patients had been created as per a state government decision while Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister Nitin Patel denied any knowledge of it.

Amid an extended lockdown of over 1.3 billion people in India till May 3, the Government has identified 170 districts as coronavirus hotspots and 207 others as potential ones as the total number of COVID-19 cases in the country mounted to 11,439.

The Health Ministry informed on Wednesday that 1,076 fresh cases have been reported in the last 24 hours and the total death toll stands at 377.

All six metros - Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad -have been included in the "hotspot (red zone) classification". As many as 123 districts have been identified as "large outbreaks."

The Centre on Wednesday asked the states to ensure that the disease has to be contained there.