Dr PK Ashokan, who was brutally assaulted by the relatives of a patient, under the treatment of his gynaecologist wife Dr Anitha Ashokan in Fathima hospital, Kozhikode, in the first week of March, is yet to fully recover. The Kerala chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) had called a dawn-to-dusk statewide strike as a mark of protest against the growing attacks on healthcare professionals in the state on Friday, March 17. The strike disrupted the normal working hours of the hospitals.
Sixty-year-old Dr Ashokan, who suffered injuries on his face, still has discomfort in his neck. Aparna Ashokan, a lawyer and daughter of the doctor couple, told TNM that the relatives of the patient attacked him without any provocation. The assault happened nine days after the alleged incident of negligence, which proves that it was not impulsive but planned.
"He hasn't yet resumed his work fully. He had injuries in teeth, lips and nose. More than the physical assault, both of them were left traumatised by it," Aparna said. Dr Anitha and Dr Ashokan, a senior cardiologist, have been with the Fathima hospital for the past 25 years.
On February 24, Hajira Naja, a pregnant woman from Kunnamangalam, a patient of Anitha, was admitted to the hospital. “The patient came to the hospital with a fever and reported to the casualty. She was on preterm labour for 36 weeks. Only by evening did her labour start. It was all normal in the beginning but suddenly there was a drop in heartbeat. If there is maternal pyrexia there is always the possibility of foetal distress,” Aparna said, quoting the details shared by her mother.
The baby was stillborn and the mother had to be in hospital for nine days. On March 4, the 9th day of her admission, some of the relatives asked for the CT scan report of the patient, following which the issue began.
“Since the doctors suspected colitis, she (Naja) was asked to take a CT scan. If everything was ok in the scan she would have been discharged the next day. On March 4, when my mother went for her rounds, the bystanders asked her about the CT scan report. She said it's still awaited. Then they shouted asking whether a pair of scissors were left inside her stomach and that was the reason the patient was getting an infection. They were also asking whether she was trying to kill the mother too. They also vandalised the hospital,” Aparna said. Recently, the state government had ordered a probe after a pair of scissors were found from the stomach of a woman, who had undergone surgery in a government-run hospital.
Anitha somehow left the scene and went home. Later she had to come back to the hospital with Ashokan to sign the patient’s discharge papers and to give statements to police because a police complaint was filed.
“When my mother was waiting on the ground floor, my father went to the top floor to talk to the police and the administrators. Then these people came to know that he is the spouse of the doctor that they assaulted him badly. This happened nine days later after the caesarean section. It wasn’t triggered suddenly,” Aparna said. The case was filed with Nadakkavu police and six persons were booked under IPC sections 325 (Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 427 (Mischief causing damage), 506 (Punishment for criminal intimidation), 308 (Attempt to commit culpable homicide) and and 34 (common intention). Three people have been arrested in the case. The hospital has filed a case against the family for not paying their bills.
Speaking to media persons, Naja’s family alleged that the complaint of assault was fabricated to hide the medical negligence. Naja said her child would have been alive if she had gotten enough attention. She also alleged she was subjected to a caesarean section, when she was still sensitive to pain. “I went to hospital on February 24, after my water broke and I also had a slight fever. They gave medicine for fever but did not give any attention even though I repeatedly said my water broke. It took five hours for the doctor to come to the labour room. Then she noticed that the foetus heart beat rate was coming down. I was rushed to the operation theatre after I suffered labour pain for hours. While I was on peak of the pain they administered anaesthesia and a few minutes later started the surgery. I shouted saying I was still sensitive to pain but they did not listen,” she alleged.
“I lost my daughter after so much struggle. Later, I got the infection and suffered the pain for another four days. Then on March 4, we saw the CT scan report with the nurse. But when we asked, the doctor said it was yet to be received,” Naja said. She also alleged that nursing staff had told them to react by not paying the bill since they had to undergo a lot of hardships.
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