Docs threaten strike over security

Patna: Junior doctors of Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH) have once again complained to the hospital administration about their security being compromised on the campus.

This comes after a senior doctor of the hospital was allegedly beaten up by a multi-drug resistance tuberculosis patient’s kin on Wednesday morning after her death. The patient was vomiting blood owing to which doctors had asked her family to arrange four units of blood for her. The junior doctors claimed that the patient’s family neither arranged for blood nor donor owing to which she died in course of treatment. The relatives, however, claimed that the patient had died due to lackadaisical approach of the physician on duty.

The Junior Doctors’ Association of the hospital has now shot off a letter to hospital superintendent Dr Anand Prasad Singh, complaining that none of their demands they had made during the last strike (called after a patient’s relative beat up two doctors on duty following the death of the patient) had been fulfilled.

The Junior Doctors’ Association president, Dr Ravi Ranjan Kumar Rajan, said they had earlier sought the setting of a police outpost on the lines of the one at Patna Medical College and Hospital to control incidents of patient families attacking doctors but that had been ignored. “During the last strike, the principal health secretary had assured us that our demands would be met. We had called off our strike following his assurance that our demands would be fulfilled,” said Ranjan.

“We had also asked for proper implementation of the entry pass system and had asked that only one attendant should be allowed inside hospital by showing one pass but this has also not been implemented. Attendants of 10 to 12 patients enter the hospital’s emergency at will. All this increases the security risk to doctors because when patient’s attendants would gang up, they would be helpless. The attendants go through emotional turmoil after death of patient. Such kind of safety measures should be taken to provide safe working environment to doctors so that they can treat patients without any risk. Our demand of posting armed security personnel and segregation of the three emergency wings including medicine, surgery and orthopaedics have also not met with.”

Ranjan claimed that even after a month of the last strike, their demands had not been fulfilled. The NMCH junior medicos had gone on strike on April 9 the last time after a patient’s attendant allegedly manhandled them.

NMCH superintendent Dr Anand Prasad Singh said the hospital was taking measures ought to be taken for its doctor’s safety.

“During the last strike, the hospital’s security guards had also been engaged in a brawl with junior doctors after they complained about their irresponsible attitude during the incident of patient’s kin attacking doctors. We immediately removed the security guards but asked the agency to provide us new personnel in their place. We have also floated a tender on the other hand to hire services of new personnel for guarding of emergency. We have received funds to set up the police outpost on the hospital campus. Work will start soon. Barricading work outside the emergency will also be taken up,” said Singh.

He, however, said even if the police outpost comes up, such incidents were unavoidable. “Patient’s attendants never attack doctors after planning. This kind of incident is spontaneous, relatives’ emotions running high following the patient’s death. Even if police personnel are deployed on the campus, I don’t think they would be able to prevent such incidents,” said Singh.

Courtesy: TNN