TAP TO UNMUTE UP: Meerut hospital issues apology for ad calling for restricted entry of Muslims, calling Hindus 'misers'

New Delhi/Meerut: A hospital in Meerut is in the eye of a storm for putting an advert in a newspaper on April 17 saying it will admit only coronavirus-free Muslims patients. The Valentis Cancer hospital in city's Mawana area also ruffled the feathers of Hindus and Jains as the controversial ad stated that certain well-off members of these communities were 'misers' as they did not contribute to PM CARES Fund.

The ad in a local newspaper alleged that some members of the Muslim community including those from Tablighi Jamaat do not follow health advisories. It further mentioned that certain members from the community attacked police, medical personnel and were responsible for carrying spreading the disease.

The hospital, therefore, made it mandatory for Muslim patients to and attendants to furnish a report declaring that they do not carry Covid-19 for admission to the hospital.

After the reprehensible move, the hospital authorities issued an apology for “hurting sentiments” but remained defiant.

When approached for reaction, Dr Amit Jain from the hospital issued an apology stating that the words in the ad were twisted and therefore “were misinterpreted” by people and that the hospital did not want to target any particular community.

The incident came to light a day after the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in its daily briefing on Saturday said 4,291 out of overall 14,378 Covid-19 patients in India were related to Tablighi Jamaat’s Nizamuddin Markaz event.

“Out of the total 14,378 cases, 4,291 (or 29.8%) cases are related to the Nizamuddin Markaz cluster from a single source… They have affected 23 states and Union Territories,” Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary with the Health Ministry, said in Delhi on Saturday.

The opposition has complained that the government’s frequent referral to the Islamic religious congregation in New Delhi for the outbreak is leading to the communalisation of the disease.

Days after putting out the controversial ad, the hospital authorities put out yet another advertisement apologising to all the communities for its previous print commercial