After a spate of incidents involving physical assaults on doctors by patients’ families, the focus is back on the security arrangement at hospitals and the loopholes in our healthcare system.
In a recent occurrence, two resident doctors,including a woman, were allegedly beaten up by a patient's relatives at the state-run JJ Hospital in Mumbai on the morning of 19 May.
After the patient, Zaida Sanaullah Sheikh (45), who was being treated for a gall bladder ailment, died at the hospital, her family members alleged that it was due to negligence on the doctors' part. What followed was physical assault on the doctors and rampage.
The Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) alleged that despite repeated requests, there was no adequate security at the hospital, here is a look at the episodes of attacks on doctors in the past one year.
Doctor Kicked, Slapped at Dhule Hospital
In March 2017, Mumbai experienced three incidents of violence against doctors at public hospitals in one week.
On 12 March, an orthopedic doctor Rohan Mhamunkar was assaulted at the Dhule Civil Hospital by relatives of a patient brought in with head injury. In a video that went viral, a mob was seen kicking and slapping Dr Mhamunkar after a heated argument over alleged negligence, reported The Hindu.
While the police had arrested nine persons in connection with the incident, Dr Mhamunkar suffered multiple injuries, including oribital fractures, according to The Hindu.
Three Doctors, a Nurse Assaulted at Nashik Hospital
Just a few days later, a mob attacked and assaulted three doctors and a nurse at Nashik General Hospital after a patient died during treatment, reported Hindustan Times. The hospital, which has 18 security guards working in shifts, saw massive protests from doctors.
Trainee Doctor Thrashed at Sion Hospital
In a third incident within a week, a trainee doctor, Rohit Kumar, at Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital and Medical College, Sion, was thrashed by relatives of a patient who died out of a chronic kidney disorder. The relatives, who alleged negligence on the part of doctors, beat up Kumar in front of security guards. Three people were arrested after the incident, reported Hindustan Times.
Senior Doctor Beaten up in Patna
A senior doctor at Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH) in Patna was allegedly beaten up by the family members of a critical tuberculosis patient who died during treatment, reported The Telegraph.
Two Senior Doctors Assaulted in Delhi Hospital
In February, 2018, two senior doctors at Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC) in New Delhi were brutally assaulted by relatives of a patient because they were asked to stay out of the ward, reported India Today.
One of the victims, Dr Shyam Sundar, told India Today, “We had asked the family members to stay out of the ward as they were around 8 to 10 people when one of them hit my nose. I started bleeding. Soon, they attacked the other doctor who came to my rescue.”
Junior Doctors Shun Work After Assault on Colleague in Kolkata Hospital
Some junior doctors at Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, had denied work after their colleague was assaulted by the relatives of a deceased patient, reported The Times of India.
While the doctors demanded the arrest of the miscreants, the kin of the deceased alleged that the doctors had asked them to run from one unit to another and the patient died without treatment.
Mob Attacks Resident Doctors at Pune Hospital
In March 2018, resident doctors at the DY Patil Medical College Pune were attacked by a mob of 30-40 people after a patient died of severe lung infection and cardiac arrest, reported Pune Mirror.
According to the report, a local politician had also barged in with his men and further assaulted the doctors.
While doctors have resorted to strikes and protests, the authorities must take stringent steps to beef up security at state-run hospitals to protect the doctors from the outrage of their patients’ families.
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