KASARGOD: An ENT specialist was booked by Hosdurg police for violating quarantine rules and conducting practise at his private clinic in Kanhangad. Nityananda Babu was booked under the Epidemic Diseases Act, and charged with Section 269 of the IPC (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), and also under the Kerala Police Act.
The doctor had come into contact with the CPM leader of Paivalige on May 8. After the latter tested Covid positive, Nityananda Babu was advised to go into quarantine for 14 days. On May 14, Thursday, the doctor’s swab test proved negative. The district hospital asked him to complete the quarantine period before reporting for duty. However on May 15, he opened his private clinic and examined patients, said a police officer. On a tip-off, the Special Branch raided the clinic the same day. “But the doctor managed to give us the slip,” said an officer.
There were around eight patients awaiting their turn at the clinic. “We have the copy of the prescriptions he gave to the patients,” said the officer. The police said he should not have misused the cloak of anonymity given to him to resume practise. The doctor, however, said he turned up at the clinic to attend to an ‘emergency patient’ since his result was negative.