Indian Medical Association’s (IMA) harassment committee in Karnataka branch has received ten complaints of doctors who are being abused verbally and also physically by patients or their attendantsin this COVID-19 pandemic. Recently,

Incidents of such violence have been reported from KC General and Jayadeva hospitals in Bengaluru and Civil Hospital in Belagavi.

Dr Ganesh Prasad, Chairman of the harassment committee, said that they receive at least two such complaints every month, whereas several other incidents do not come to their notice also. There areoccasions where physicians have referred patients to higher centers of treatment but it is disliked by many patients, who consider that they are not being treated properly.

He also pointed out one case in Mangaluru, where a patient assumed that the RTPCR test which had turned COVID-positive was false and the hospital was giving the wrong result to admit him and get money from him.This patient then went on several social media platforms, ruining the image of both the doctor and the hospital.

In coronavirus infection, the patient who is positive becomes stable when admitted, however his/her condition can quickly deteriorate if not admitted immediately. Many people are not able to understand this and thus unaware of the severity of this virus, patients and their attendants abuse and attack doctors, which creates fear among the medical fraternity.

Dr Prasad, said that out of 10 complaints, only two resulted in FIRs. The higher authorities at hospitals do not support doctors when they want to register a police complaint. While IMA gives moral support and also helps them register a complaint then the police are careless in tracking the case. Therefore they have to approach police commissioners, MLAs and also the home minister to follow up with the case.

The offenders often escapeas police take least interest to locate them. Dr Suresh Kudva Kateel, a central working committee member of IMA, said that two reasons are there as the medical fraternity is being harassed, in private hospitals due to huge bills and in a government hospital due to lack of facilities leaving the patient unsatisfied and the doctors too are helpless.

He further said that in government hospitals, if an X-ray machine is present then there is no lab technician available. If an ambulance there then no driver available. The government is spending a huge amount of money but it is not utilized correctly due to lack of interest. If the government works together with the medical fraternity, then they can sort out such issues.

Source: The New Indian Express