Rahul appreciates role of nurses, says you’re a non-violent army

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, July 1

On Doctor’s Day, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday engaged four Indian nurses from across the world, including India, hailing them as a non-violent army fighting Covid-19 virus.

Governments are trying to “manage the perception” about coronavirus infections and give a sense that the problem is not as bad as it is, Rahul asserted that it was important to accept the problem and fight it.

Part of his ongoing video interactions, today’s conversation involved four Indian nurses — Anu Ragnat from Rahul’s Lok Sabha segment Wayanad and currently in New Zealand, Narendra Singh from Rajasthan and now in Australia, Vipin Krishnan from Kerala employed at AIIMS, New Delhi, and Sherlylmol Puravady from the UK.

After Krishnan flagged some cases of pending Delhi Government compensation to doctors, who have died of Covid, Rahul assured help.

“Two nurses have died in Delhi. One X-ray technician has died. One retired doctor from AIIMS passed away and also one sanitation staffer. They are yet to receive the compensation of Rs 1 crore announced by the Delhi Government,” Krishnan said, seeking Rahul’s help for nurses’ inclusion under the risk allowance category, citing the biowar the Army of nurses was fighting.

“You’re a non-violent army,” Rahul said. Ragnat hailed New Zealand for “hard and early response to Covid” while Narendra Singh stressed hand hygiene for safety. Rahul spoke of how many Delhi hospitals were not being allowed to test Covid-19 rendering doctors vulnerable at which Krishnan added that “on May 27 when the infection rate in Delhi was 13.7 per cent, 7,000 tests a day were being done and by June 12 when the infection rate had crossed 30 per cent, under 5,000 tests a day were being conducted”.