Attendant beats up hospital staff

The resident doctors have been protesting the abuse meted out to them by attendants of patients who pass away. A report by HT Correspondent.

Authorities of Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) Hospital formed a committee on Tuesday to inquire into a patient’s death and also to find a solution for bringing the striking 400 resident doctors back to work.

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The state health ministry has given the striking doctors time till Wednesday noon to resume work, failing which they will have to face action under the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA).

The resident doctors have been protesting the abuse meted out to them by attendants of patients who pass away.

The latest incident that triggered the strike was the death of 30-year-old Gulshan on Tuesday morning.

The patient was brought to the DDU casualty on Monday night.

According to hospital sources, Gulshan had consumed poison mixed with alcohol and was very critical when brought to the hospital.

The doctors reportedly treated him in the casualty initially and later shifted him to ward no 8. The condition of the patient was critical even then and he was put on a ventilator. But around 5.30am, he passed away.

Gulshan’s brother, who had brought him to the hospital, allegedly lost control and hit the attending doctor, the ECG technician and a male nurse, apart from breaking the ventilator. He was later arrested.

Angry doctors stopped all work and demanded safety measures to be beefed-up within the hospital premises for them.

“Do they want us to take care of our security or attend to the heavy rush of patients?” said Dr Dhirendra Dhiraj, president, Resident Doctors’ Association (RDA).

Among the list of demands, the resident doctors want a police picket to be set up within the hospital premises and they also want one attendant for one patient norm to be followed.

DDU medical superintendent Dr Avneendra Prasad admitted the work was suffering because of the striking doctors and specialists were put on extended duty to take care of the rush of critical patients.

“We are trying our best to control the situation. The doctors are angry at the moment, so we'll give them some time to cool down. As for the patient load, we have put senior doctors on duty,” he said.

Patients in the casualty and labour room were the worst sufferers due to acute shortage of manpower.