Video of patients crowding cancer hospital in Patna shared with false claims

A 30-second video that shows an over-crowded waiting area of a hospital has gone viral. Everyone in the video can be seen wearing a mask. Twitter user @RenukaJain6 shared the video and wrote, “While @ArvindKejriwal is busy with full page advertisements this is true pic of Delhi @AmitShah.” Thus indicating the video is from Delhi. Her post has been viewed close to 20,000 times (archived link).

While @ArvindKejriwal is busy with full page advertisements this is true pic of Delhi @AmitShah pic.twitter.com/fbSykC1tap

— #RenukaJain (@RenukaJain6) July 18, 2020

The person recording the video can be heard saying, “Ma’am this is the amount of rush that we are getting at room number 5, OPD ground floor. Looking at the amount of patients here, it is a complete threat to all the doctors and staffs of the hospital including the patients. So that is why I am forwarding this video to you, ma’am. This is doctor Rana Singh here. Thank you, ma’am. This is the entire amount of people standing right in front of room number OPD 5. More than hundred in number. Please take an immediate action as soon as possible. Thank you.”

Similarly, @curlykrazy07 tweeted that the video is from Pune (archive link) while a Facebook page has shared it as AIIMS, Patna. 

It has also been shared as Victoria Hospital, Bangalore.

Video verification

We performed multiple keyword searches based on the viral claims and found that the video was broadcast by India TV on July 17. As per the channel, the video is from Mahavir Cancer Sansthan in Patna which was closed after a few patients tested positive for COVID-19. The video shows the crowd on the day it reopened, the report added.

The person recording the video identified himself as Dr Rana Singh. We visited the website of Mahavir Cancer Sansthan and found that the doctor has been listed as a resident oncologist in the chemotherapy department.

This video was earlier fact-checked by Boomlive who spoke with Dr Singh. “It was a very uncontrollable situation wherein we were only around 4-5 doctors in the Corona Screening OPD and based on which I had to take this video so that I could send it to the hospital management to take immediate action as soon as possible,” he told the outlet informing that appropriate action was later taken.

“The hospital was closed for sanitisation for four to five days. Since the hospital had opened, there was a rush and influx of heavy amount of patients there,” he further said.

Mahavir Cancer Sansthan is affiliated with Mahavir Temple Trust. Former IPS officer Kishore Kunal is the secretary of the Trust. On July 18, he made an elaborate post where he wrote in Hindi, “Mahavir Cancer Sansthan was overcrowded on July 15 following which the hospital was closed. The reason for the rush was that the hospital had opened after eight days and large institutions like AIIMS were shut due to which patients rushed here. The doctors present at the time closed the OPD and new admissions. The hospital is currently closed for new patients.”

On July 19, Bangalore City Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao tweeted that a person spreading false rumours that the video is from Victoria Hospital, Bangalore was arrested by the police. 

City Crime Branch swiftly identified and arrested this person who has been circulating false videos of panic in Victoria Hospital, Bangalore. Kudos to all doctors and medical professionals who are doing their best.FALSE NEWS BUSTED pic.twitter.com/2o9ZTFns4z

— Bhaskar Rao IPS (@deepolice12) July 19, 2020

Thus, the claims associated with the viral video are false. The video doesn’t show patients in Delhi or Pune but at Mahavir Cancer Sansthan in Patna.