Orthopaedic doctor of Dhule hospital ‘thrashed’ by patient’s kin: Brutal attack on doctor sparks anger among medical fraternity

Doctors have demanded strict security on hospital premises with rising incidents of doctor-patient rows. Across the state from January 2015-December 2016, 47 such cases of attack on resident doctors have been reported, said Dr Sagar Mundada, Indian Medical Association’s state youth wing chairman, adding that despite the Bombay High Court passing orders last June to limit the number of relatives with a patient to two, this rule has not been implemented so far.

Jan Arogya Abhiyan (JAA) and doctors with the Indian Medical Association (IMA) have strongly condemned the recent brutal attack on Dr Rohan Mhamunkar in Dhule Civil Hospital. “Such instances bring to the breaking point the already strained relationship between doctors and patients,” said Dr Anant Phadke and Dr Abhijit More, city-based doctors with JAA.

JAA doctors urged that the state must make available all necessary facilities and increase security in public hospitals. Such violence targeting healthcare providers should also be condemned by society, and the guilty should be punished, said doctors.

Dr Ashok Tambe, president of state unit of IMA, said, it was shocking that a resident doctor was badly beaten and manhandled by 20-25 people related to the patient. “The doctor has also suffered a head injury and if such incidences occur frequently, the IMA has expressed concern that doctors would not be able to provide emergency services to the patients,” he said.

Dr SS Utture, executive committee member of Maharashtra Medical Council, termed the incident as “deplorable” and said it was impossible to practise medicine with such security threat.