Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Doctor attacked, medicos go on strike

High dose of protest: Junior doctors shout slogans on the Medical College campus in the city on Wednesday.

Thiruvananthapuram: A flash strike by junior doctors and house surgeons at the Medical College Hospital on Wednesday morning, in protest against the attack on a duty doctor by some miscreants at the casualty wing, disrupted all services in the hospital, including emergency services, for several hours.

Even though the MCH authorities tried to tackle the situation by deploying senior lecturers and other doctors from various departments to the casualty and wards, the 24-hour strike declared by the Post Graduates’ Association ensured that only emergency services and ICUs functioned. Outpatient clinics and elective surgeries were disrupted.

The incident on Wednesday came close on the heels of another instance a few days ago, after which a 24-hour police aid post, with two policemen, was set up at the casualty wing. However, the move seems to have been a total failure.

At 2 a.m. on Wednesday, a youth with minor accident injuries was brought to the casualty wing by his friends.

According to doctors, the patient was administered a test dose of an injection and asked to wait for 15 minutes, which seemed to provoke those who had accompanied him to attack the doctor.

The attackers walked off, while the security personnel and the police remained mute spectators, doctors alleged.

The PG doctor who was attacked, sustained injuries on his neck and head and is admitted in the surgical ward.

All junior doctors went on strike from 8 a.m. and they also took out protest rallies on the campus demanding better security and a safe working environment for doctors.

The House Surgeons Association and the Kerala Government Medical College Teachers’ Association too declared solidarity with them.

The PG Association is holding a general body at 8 a.m. on Thursday after which they will decide their next course of action.

KGMCTA and the Indian Medical Association have condemned the attack on doctors. They demanded that a separate security cell be devised for the MCH under a senior police officer.

They also demanded that the government issue special orders so that attacks against doctors and hospitals would be considered a non-bailable offence, inviting imprisonment and fine.

Health Minister P.K. Sreemathy visited MCH in the evening and met the injured PG doctor and a security personnel who had been injured in the attack.

Meanwhile, the Medical College police have arrested two youth, Vishnu (23) of Pongummoodu and Ratheesh (24) of Kottayam in connection with the incident. Both are final year students of Karyavattom Government Engineering College.

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