A junior doctor of Hyderabad’s Niloufer Hospital was allegedly assaulted by a patient’s relatives on Monday for removing their handbag from the bed. The doctor was trying to revive the 11-year-old patient brought in as an emergency case when the incident took place.
Dr Ravi Kumar from paediatrics department in the hospital told Times of India, "A bag was kept on the patient’s examining couch in the ESR treatment room, but when the emergency case was rushed in, the junior doctor removed the bag to accommodate the child, but the girl’s relatives were furious that the bag was kept on the bed in the first place, and began verbally abusing the doctor.”
The verbal abuse allegedly turned into assault by the girl’s relatives, who twisted the arm of Dr Pratyusha Reddy, the 25-year-old junior doctor. Four other doctors including the duty medical officer were also attacked by the girl’s relatives, said police who have registered a case against Nasreen Begum (27) and Adil (22) under IPC sections 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation).
The Niloufer Hospital superintendent also decided to terminate the service of the security agency after it came to light that the security guards and constables from the Special Protection Force failed to come to the rescue of the doctors.
"Doctors have complained against Agile Security Force for the poor service offered by the firm. They say the lack of security at the hospital is even worse at night with incidents of doctors being manhandled by patient’s attendants being reported. There have been lapses in security services in the past. In view of the circumstances, it is necessary to terminate the service of Agile Security Force in the interest of the administration," said the letter by the Niloufer Hospital to the Director of Medical Education.
On Tuesday over 50 members of the TJUDA (Telangana Junior Doctors Association) protested before the hospital and boycotted their elective duties up to 3 pm. The doctors claim this is the fifth such assault taking place at the hospital in two years.