Juniors doctors at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital went on strike after family members of a man, who died in an accident early on Monday morning, manhandled some of their colleague. As a result, patients were left unattended for almost half a day.
K. Karunakaran (20), was injured when the driver of a Tata Magic allegedly tried to run him over after a scuffle at Thandal Kazhani in Red Hills around midnight on Sunday. Two others, who were sleeping on a footpath, were also hurt when the driver, in a bid to escape the angry mob, entered a cul-de-sac. All the injured were admitted to the Emergency Trauma ward 201.
Karunakaran died of injuries around 3.50 a.m. at the hospital. His father Karupiah, brother and a relative who were at the hospital manhandled the postgraduate and junior doctors on duty in the ward, breaking the glass panes at the nurses' station.
Following this incident, the doctors approached the resident Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and demanded that an accident registry (AR) be prepared. However, the CMO, citing the lack of any visible injuries to the doctors, refused to do so and insisted the doctors to register a police complaint first. Finally, following pressure from the junior doctors, the CMO prepared a joint AR for the doctors who then raised the demand that independent records be created for each of them.
As news of these developments spread, junior doctors in the morning shift, including service and non-service postgraduate students and house surgeons, squatted in front of the hospital entrance and refused to attend to patients until the problem was resolved and police protection provided. After the intervention of senior hospital authorities including Dean V. Kanagasabai, service PGs and doctors resumed work around 10 a.m., but the 160 to 200 non-service PGs and house surgeons continued their protest. Hundreds of patients who had come for treatment remained unattended.
This is the third time in the last two years that that services in hospital have been affected in this manner. On January 5 and 6, doctors at the hospital went on strike demanding action against the family that damaged a private hospital in Tuticorin after a woman died during childbirth. In March 2011, a student of Queen Mary's College for Woman died in an accident and fellow students alleged doctors had not done their bit to save the girl's life.
Dr. Kanagasabai said since the students did not exhibit any signs of external injury, it was difficult to create an accident registry . Referring to claims by students and junior doctors of a similar protest two months ago in the aftermath of a patient's death, he said “The PGs concerned had then complained to us and we wrote a letter to the Commissioner of Police and there was a discussion. Since the matter was not pursued by the PGs, we also lost track of the problem.” Usually, the hospital posts one policeman outside Ward 201 but after Monday's incident, 16 personnel, in two shifts will man wards 201, 202, 205 and 206, the dean said. “We will install CCTV and cameras so that we have recorded evidence. It will not only help defuse tension but also prevent the doctors also from whipping up emotions,” Dr. Kanagasabai said.
S. Subisan, a representative of the post-graduate and CRRI Association, said that they were assured security across the clock.
