Mumbai doctor attacked by patient’s relatives; 3rd case this week in Maha

The incident took place at 10.30pm on Saturday after Rekha Singh, who was admitted in ward 20 of the hospital, died...

A post-graduate student, training as a doctor at Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital and Medical College, Sion, was thrashed by relatives of a 60-year-old patient, who died because of a chronic kidney disease. Three people have been arrested.

Dr Rohan Mhamunkar, a senior doctor at the Dhule civil Hospital, was assaulted by 15 to 20 relatives of a patient after he requested the family to shift the patient to another hospital owing to unavailability of a neurologist.(HT photo)

This is the third incident of violence against doctors at public hospitals in a week. Sion hospital doctors have refused to return to work until adequate security measures are put in place.

The incident took place at 10.30pm on Saturday after Rekha Singh, who was admitted in ward 20 of the hospital, died. “The patient had returned to the hospital after taking Discharge Against Medical Advice (DAMA) in a critical condition. She was suffering from chronic kidney failure and was admitted at 12.10am on March 18,” said one of the doctors.

Singh underwent dialysis on Saturday morning. But her condition began deteriorating. Sources said the doctors treating her informed the family about her condition. “We had informed the family about the poor prognosis and medical complications in the case. The patient wasn’t responding despite the treatment,” said a resident doctors of the hospital. The patient was pronounced dead at 10.50pm on Saturday.

The patient’s relatives allege the medical staff did not take enough care and Rohit Kumar, a first-year post graduate student, a resident of Chhattisgarh, was beaten up in front of the security guards by Singh’s relatives . “This is the first such incident of this year that has taken place in a well-guarded medical college of the city,” said a senior doctor from the hospital.

The hospital’s dean, Dr Suleiman Merchant, said, “In an unfortunate incident last night, relatives of a patient, who was declared dead, tried to assault a first year med residence, luckily they were stopped in time by security. Resident was touched lightly, presence of security prevented further damage. An FIR is lodged and three people have been arrested.”

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