AIIMS doctors seek PM’s help to curb monkey menace

Doctors at AIIMS have written to the prime minister as their “last hope”, seeking help with monkey menace at campus, where three persons, including a doctor, were bitten yesterday

The resident doctors’ association of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi has written to the Prime Minister, asking for his help to curb incidents of biting and snatching by dogs and monkeys at the hospital campus in Ansari Nagar.

Three people were bitten by monkeys at AIIMS, Delhi yesterday. (Handout)

“The monkeys and the dogs are attacking us, biting us, and snatching our valuables. We are under continuous threat. We are not anti-animal, but we need a safe working environment,” read the letter sent to the Prime Minister’s office.

On Monday, three people – a doctor, a nurse and an MBBS student – were bitten by monkeys. Valuables, documents and eatables are snatched from patients and their family members waiting for their treatment outside the out-patient department and the wards.

“Usually, three to four incidents of snatching are reported to the hospital authorities every day. And, one case of severe injury due to dog or monkey bite is reported every two or three days. Around two weeks ago, a resident doctor was bitten by what we suspect was a rabid dog. The dog has died since,” said Dr Vijay Gurjar, president of the resident doctors’ association.

There are so many monkeys and dogs around the campus that even guards are helpless. “The guards try and drive away the animals, but they always come back. There has to be a concerted effort to relocate the animals from the campus as they are a threat to both the doctors and patients,” said Dr Gurjar.