On Wednesday, hundreds of doctors of Government Rajindra Hospital held a massive protestover an attack on a junior resident with a knife by a patient.

The doctors demanded a safe working environment and hence staged a dharna in front of the office of the medical superintendent. The doctors raised slogans against the hospital authorities for their failure in providing a safe environment to them.

The medicos claimed that regardless of repeated incidents of violence against the doctors, the authorities had done nothing in this respect and took out a rally on the hospital premises.

Dr Saurabh Aggarwal, who was attacked, said that such attacks infuse fear among the doctors which doesn’t predict well for the medical fraternity. He has demanded that a safe working environment should be provided, or else, medical candidates will start losing their interest in this noble profession.

The protesting doctors said the incidents of assault on medical professionals are increasing, but the people were doing nothing to protect them. They also demanded deployment of more security personnel and CCTV cameras in the emergency ward at the hospital.

Dr Nitin Chabhra, president, Resident Doctors’ Association, said that in spite of so many incidents in the past, extra security guards have not been deployed in the emergency ward yet and even the CCTV cameras are not functioning.

In the meantime, the police have arrested the accused after registering an FIR.GMC principal Dr Harjinder Singh also said they had requested the SSP to deploy more police staff at the hospital.

Japnam Singh, in-charge, police post, Rajindra Hospital, said they had booked the accused under Sections 353, 186 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code. The accused was a resident of Sahuli village, near Bhadson town of the district.

Nevertheless, junior residents have demanded that the police should add attempt to murder case in the FIR as the doctor was attacked with a sharp-edged weapon with apurpose to kill him.

Source: The Tribune