Assam not safe for doctors: After Dr Deben Dutta's murder, another assaulted

Assam: After the brutal assault of Dr Deben Dutta who succumbed to his grave injuries; another doctor has been assaulted in Assam; evidently suggesting that the state is not safer for doctors anymore.

Medical Dialogues had recently reported about the horrific incident where the elderly doctor of a tea estate in Assam's Jorhat district succumbed to his injuries allegedly inflicted by garden workers following the death of one of their colleagues who was undergoing treatment at a hospital in the plantation.

The tea garden workers had gheraoed the hospital and Dr Dutta had to be rescued by the police. He was shifted to Jorhat Medical College and Hospital, where he died while undergoing treatment.

Read Also: 73 Year old Elderly doctor Dr Deben Dutta assaulted to death in Assam tea garden following worker death

So far, the police have nabbed 26 persons in connection with the brutal assault.

Read Also: Late Dr Deben Dutta Brutal Assault: Police arrests 26

The incident had triggered major uproar from the medical fraternity. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) had called for a shutdown and several protests had ensued.

In one such protest, a doctor who was on duty in the Garmur Civil Hospital in Majuli district was assaulted. The police have nabbed two in the case and further investigation is on.

SP (Majuli) Hitesh Ray informed the TOI, "Preliminary investigation suggests that a patient was brought to the Garmur Civil Hospital with some complications but doctors and other health staff refused to provide treatment because of the strike called by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) in protest against the Teok incident. This enraged the patients's relatives who tried to assault the doctor and other health staff. Later, police reached the hospital and brought the situation under control."

All Assam Medical Service Association's Jorhat district president Bhaktimoy Bhattacharyya said, "We have also filed a case against the relatives of the patient for their misconduct against the doctors and health staff while they were participating in the protest programme called by the IMA. We want the government to ensure security of medical officers and other health officials."

Four Assam doctors quit in protest

The medical officers of four gardens have quit their duties following the mob lynching which led to the death of Dr Dutta.

Ravi Baruah, senior medical officer of Mohanbari Tea Estate in Dibrugarh district, told TOI that the brutal mob attack on Dr Dutta at Jorhat's Teok Tea Estate on August 31^st 2019 made him realize that no professional reward was worth working in an environment of fear.

He urged colleagues across the industry to do what he and three others - the medical officers of Kakojan Tea Estate, Mariani Bheleuguri Tea Estate and New Sonowal Tea Estate in Jorhat district - had done.

IMA calls for countrywide indefinite strike

The Indian Medical Association has threatened to launch a countrywide indefinite strike by doctors if the Centre immediately failed to enact a law to check violence against health professionals, IMA president Dr Santanu Sen told PTI.

The IMA also demanded Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal come out with a statement within 24 hours on the deadly assault on Dr Deben Dutta.

"Doctors continue to be attacked... enough is enough. We have reached the end point, we are not going to let this go. If a Central act is not enacted and the chief minister's statement does not come within 24 hours, then the government and the entire country have to remain prepared for the consequences," he said.

The IMA chief said that the association has written to the prime minister, the home minister, the health minister and the Assam chief minister underlining the urgent need to enact a Central law to check violence against health professionals.

"In Parliament, I had raised the demand for a Central act. If the government does not take any positive step, then doctors of the entire country will go for an indefinite cease work and the Central government will have to remain prepared for the consequences," the IMA chief said.

Mentioning that the state government, the chief minister or the Assam health minister had not issued any statement after the incident, Sen said. "If the chief minister does not come out with a statement, all the doctors in Assam will go for cease work indefinitely, including emergency service," Sen warned.

Protests in Assam

Doctors from Guwahati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) carried out a protest rally on August 3rd against the killing of Dr Dutta.

During the protest rally, hundreds of members of the Medical College Teachers Association and Junior Doctors Association were seen holding placards, poster and raising slogans, 'We want justice'. As a mark of protest, medical services were also stopped in the hospital.

Doctors in Assam have been demanding safety of health professionals and proper implementation of the Assam Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Protection of Violence and Damage to Property) Act in the state, reports ANI.