Doctors frequently coming under attack and lodging complaints has become commonplace, alleged resident doctors at Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS), adding that they intend to spend their time and energy on treating patients instead of running to the police.
The alleged attack on NIMS senior medical officer K. Anvesh on Monday is not the first such assault on doctors by attendants of patients.
This year, at least three similar incidents have already been reported from city hospitals.
On March 1, a post-graduate student at NIMS S. Vivek was attacked, less than a month after two junior doctors (post-graduate students) from Gandhi Hospital and Niloufer Hospital bore the brunt of angry attendants. In May, another resident doctor Md. Irfan was assaulted. Such attacks were followed by protests with doctors lodging complaints with the police and submitting representation to government officials.
Representations in vain
S. Gautham, president of NIMS Resident Doctors Association (RDA), said despite numerous representations, issues such as inadequate deployment of security personnel remain unresolved.
NIMS RDA convenor G. Srinivas said while 250 security personnel are supposed to be posted at the institute per shift, only 60 are present. “Some of them are old and not fit for the job. They have to be replaced,” Dr Srinivas said.
The association members have been demanding that Telangana Police’s Special Protection Force personnel have to be posted at ICU, Emergency Medicine Department and other critical areas in the institute. They opined that presence of armed personnel will deter such attacks.
After a series of similar attacks, SPF personnel are posted at Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Gandhi Hospital, at Government Maternity Hospital, Koti, and at Niloufer Hospital.
On Saturday, RDA members took the issue of security lapses to the notice of State Health Minister Eatala Rajender.
Besides security, RDA member Koushik Sharma said doctors have to be trained in dealing with patients and attendants whose emotions run high, to prevent such attacks.
At a few hospitals, attendants are counselled to make them understand about the medical condition of patients, their chances of survival and treatment offered. Heads of a few government hospitals had plans to keep audio and video record of the counselling sessions to be used as proof if attendants later deny about not being informed of their patient’s condition.
