Murder exposes chinks in Ludhiana civil hospital’s security, staffers threaten stir
The gruesome murder of a 15-year-old boy in the emergency ward of the busy civil hospital on Thursday evening has exposed the abysmally lax security arrangements at the institution with panic-stricken doctors and nurses threatening to strike unless they are provided round-the-clock security cover within 24 hours
The gruesome murder of a 15-year-old boy in the emergency ward of the busy civil hospital on Thursday evening has exposed the abysmally lax security arrangements at the institution with panic-stricken doctors and nurses threatening to strike unless they are provided round-the-clock security cover within 24 hours.
Hours after the hospital was reduced to a crime scene, civil surgeon Dr SP Singh met the staffers – doctors, nurses and paramedics – who were on duty when a mob vandalised the hospital and killed a teenager. The staffers raised their concerns regarding their safety, and sought round-the-clock security arrangements at the hospital.
Dr SP Singh, who seemed visibly perturbed, said, “It is unfortunate that such an incident took place inside the emergency ward of the hospital. I shudder to imagine the mental state of the staffers who were witness to this violent crime and blatant vandalism inside the hospital.”
Singh, who went through the CCTV (closed-circuit television) footage, said, “The images are horrifying to say the least. For nearly five minutes the armed men kept attacking the victim. One can imagine the plight of the nurses and patients who were helpless bystanders.”
On none of the three cops deputed at the police post of the civil hospital being present at the time of the incident, the civil surgeon said, “We have taken up the matter with the police department and sounded the district administration as well. We have questioned them as to why the cops did not reach the emergency ward and foil the attack, considering the police post is located within the hospital. My staff is trained to save lives, but they cannot combat weapon-wielding assailants.”
“Commissioner police Kaustubh Sharma has assured me that joint commissioner Narinder Bhargav will look into the matter and round-the-clock security will be provided to the hospital. Police Control Room officials will also be deployed to keep a check on troublemakers,” he said.
Asserting that the murder on hospital premises should not be shrugged off as a one-off incident, Punjab Civil Medical Services Association (PCMSA) president Dr Akhil Sarin and vice-president Dr Rohit Rampal said, “Ugly clashes are quite common at the civil hospital. We have raised the issue with the police time and again, but to no avail.”
