Attack on Doctors: TN Doctors call off strike after safety assurances

Coming under the umbrella
of the Tamil Nadu Resident Doctors Association (TNRDA), the
resident doctors of Tamil Nadu went on an indefinite strike on Wednesday. This
came after an oncologist on duty at Kalainagar Centenary Hospital was stabbed
seven times by a patient’s son and an Assistant Professor in the
Psychiatry Department at Government Stanley Hospital was assaulted by a patient
while attending to other patients in the outpatient ward.

Medical Dialogues had
earlier reported that after receiving several stab wounds in his neck, head,
and upper chest, the doctor at Kalainagar Centenary Hospital was rushed to the
Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the same hospital in critical condition. The doctors
suspended the elective duties, and emergency services remained unaffected. Tamil Nadu Government Doctors Association
(TNGDA) and Indian Medical Association (IMA) also participated in the protest,
demanding proper safety for on-duty doctors and strict action against the
assaulters.

Talking to Medical
Dialogues, Dr V Vignesh President of TNRDA stated, “We have specifically asked
to restrict the number of attendants visiting patients each day. Also, before
entering the hospital, they should undergo proper security checks as happens in
the airport or cinema halls to ensure safety while visiting the patient. A
visitor pass should only be issued after the member visiting the patient
undergoes a proper security check-up. Authorities should also make the present
Hospital Protection Act stricter so that people should think twice before
raising their hand on a doctor.”

“We have to put our foot
down to ensure that our demands are met. If we don’t get a written assurance
soon, the situation will snowball for sure. We are thinking of approaching the
central government to implement the Central Health Protection Act. Government
should give us the right to refuse treatment to a patient if our lives are at
stake. We try to save the patients also but if someone is going to kill me why
should we put our lives on the line for them,” he further added.

“Doctors have
withdrawn the protest which they have announced before. We have assured about
the safety of the doctors so they are withdrawing the protest,”
the health minister said in a press conference, reports ANI. The state’s Directorate
of Public Health and Preventative Medicine also issued a notification
announcing certain safety measures for healthcare workers. The notification
said to regulate access of the general public and relatives of the patients,
ensure the functioning of CCTV cameras and adequate lighting, and regular
patrolling by police officials at Primary Health Centres among many other
measures.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister
MK Stalin posted on a social media platform stating, “The incident where
the doctor working at Kindi Kalyan Centenary Hospital was stabbed by a family
member of the patient is shocking. The person involved in this atrocity was
immediately arrested. I have ordered the authorities to give the doctor all the
necessary treatment and to conduct a detailed inquiry into the incident. The
selfless work of our government doctors is immeasurable in providing
appropriate treatment to the patients who seek government hospitals regardless
of time. It is our duty to ensure their safety when they work. The government
will take all measures to prevent such incidents from happening in the
future.”

Also Read: Chennai Shocker: Oncologist Stabbed multiple times by Patient’s Son, Critical