Agartala: Family members of a patient thrashed a doctor of a government hospital after the patient died in the hospitals labor room on Friday, police said. Tripura Chief Minister, Biplab Kumar Deb, assured stern action against those who attacked the doctor.

The 25-year-old pregnant woman was admitted to the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital around 1.20 am and died of cardiac arrest around 2 am on Friday. The patients family members alleged medical negligence and attacked and seriously injured the doctor.

The gynecologist was admitted to the trauma care centre of G B Hospital. His condition has been stated to be improving. While addressing a press conference, Deb stated that Dr Dipankar Debnath was attacked by a group of people after a patient died in a hospitals labor room. They severely beat up the doctor, dragged him out of the hospital and even tried to kill him, he said.

The Chief Minister said that security has been increased in two government hospitals following the attack. He added that the attack was inhuman and they cannot keep quiet if someone tries to take the law in his hand. The police has been asked to take strict action.

Five persons were arrested in the matter. They were granted interim bail by a court but are still in jail as they could not produce bail bonds.

Police pickets were established in two major hospitals of the city, G B Pant Hospital and Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital, mentioned the Chief Minister.  He appealed to the doctors not to close their chambers or outpatient departments (OPD) at the hospitals.

The All Tripura Government Doctors Association and the Indian Medical Associations Tripura Chapter announced in a joint statement that doctors would close their chambers and withhold voluntary services such as blood donation and health camps. They threatened to resign unless their demands were met within a week. The demands included arrest of culprits involved in attacks on doctors over the past one year, setting up of police pickets and installation of CCTV cameras in government hospitals.

Tripura Health Minister, Sudip Roy Burman, said that he would surrender his police escorts to protest against the incidents of violence against doctors.

He stated that it was unethical for him to have police escorts while doctors are being attacked. In a letter to the chief minister, Burman stated that he felt impelled to surrender police escorts as long as security at the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital and other district hospitals is not provided. He wrote that the government doctors and other staff have been feeling insecure working at government hospitals.