Patient’s kin assault doctors, Mard outraged

Barely a week after a patient’s kin physically abused a resident doctor and lecturer at Indira Gandhi Government Medical College (IGGMC) of Nagpur, another angry mob, accompanying one of the patients allegedly attacked doctors from BYL Nair Hospital on Saturday. Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (Mard) strongly protested the attack and alleged the state government is not taking enough security measures to safeguard the doctors from repeated abuse by patients and their relatives. Mard members have given a deadline of June 30 to the state government to meet their demands regarding security of doctors at all government-run hospitals.

In 2016 alone, around nine cases of similar abuse against doctors have been reported from different parts of the state.

The incident took place at around 9.50 am in the medicine ward of the hospital where the resident doctor was performing Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on a patient suffering from Spinocerebellar Ataxia, (a fatal neuro-degenerative disorder with no effective known cure or treatment). Dr Kumardeep Paul, president of BYL Nair Hospital said that as the doctor failed to revive the patient, six relatives comprised of three women and three men, started abusing and thrashing the treating doctor, lecturer and registrar, who were present at the spot. One of the attackers, a man, was arrested in connection with the incident.

“The patient was bedridden since the past six months but was brought to the hospital two days back. As the treating doctor failed to revive him post several attempts, the mob thrashed the doctor and even threw slippers at the registrar and the lecturer. While only one security guard was present at the site, the main security office took prompt action and nabbed the attacker who was then handed over to the police,” said Dr Paul.

Agripada police, under whose jurisdiction the incident took place, arrested one attacker and booked him under relevant sections of the IPC and section 4 of Doctors Protection Act.

Dr Sagar Mundada, president of Central Mard, said, “As per security audit done last year, 896 more security guards were required in government colleges. As the initial date for completion of it was November 30, 2015 and was later extended it to June 1, 2016, until today, the assurances are only on paper. With none of our demands for our own security meeting their purpose, Mard is left with no other option but to take extreme measures.”