A woman doctor at Mumbai's Sion Hospital was allegedly assaulted by a patient and his relative, who were all in an intoxicated state. Police have filed a case against three persons, including two women, and detained two of them, news agency PTI reported.
The assault took place at the hospital at around 3:30 am, when the doctor was on shift in the ward. According to hospital authorities, the patient arrived at the hospital, along with two female relatives, in the early hours of Sunday.
The patient, who had facial injuries and bleeding hands, was sent to the ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) department.
As the patient was receiving treatment, he and his relatives started abusing and threatening the doctor. What started as a verbal argument soon spiralled into a physical altercation after the accused patient shoved the doctor while accusing her of not providing proper treatment.
The doctor was peeling away the cotton dressing from the patient's face to inspect the wound. In the process, the patient winced with pain, following which he and his relatives attacked the doctor. In the scuffle, the doctor sustained minor bruises.
Speaking about the incident, Dr Akshay More, a junior resident doctor and General Secretary of Sion-MARD (Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors), said, "The patient arrived as a casualty after midnight in an intoxicated state with 7-8 relatives. He was involved in an assault before he came to the hospital, and he had injury marks on his face. Owing to his injuries, he was given an ENT reference around 3:30 am."
"Our on-call resident doctor in the ENT department was a female. Following a routine procedure, she undressed the wounds to examine them. That was when the patient started verbally abusing her. The relatives, instead of controlling the patient, started verbally abusing the resident doctor. Things escalated to physical assault very quickly," he added.
As the situation escalated, the patient and his relatives fled the hospital.
The woman doctor reached the police station at around 7 am and registered her complaint. A First Information Report (FIR) has been filed.
Police registered a case against the three alleged attackers under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Maharashtra Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss to Property) Act.
In a statement concerning the incident, Sion hospital said, “There has been an incidence of violence in Sion hospital that occurred early this morning involving one of the on-call residents in the ward. A group of 5-6 intoxicated patient attendants threatened and attempted to physically assault her. She also sustained injuries while defending herself.”
Terming the assault “alarming”, the statement said their doctors’ safety is 'non-negotiable'.
"This situation requires immediate attention and the implementation of strict security measures in all hospitals," it added.
The incident comes amid nationwide protests by doctors and the medical fraternity after the harrowing rape and murder of a trainee doctor at a state-run hospital in Kolkata.
