Doctors assaulted, yet booked: AMU JNMC resident doctors protest over FIR, suspension notice

Aligarh: Following the alleged assault on two on-duty resident doctors from the orthopaedics department at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College (JNMC), Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), a First Information Report (FIR) has now been registered against the doctors, and three doctors have been suspended by the administration in connection. 

Protesting the action, the Resident Doctors’ Association (RDA), JNMC, has started a peaceful sit-in protest, alleging that instead of taking strict action against those accused of attacking healthcare workers on duty, the police filed FIRs against resident doctors under serious sections, including attempted murder, based on the statement of the patient's attendants, and the administration issued suspension notice to them.

The association has demanded immediate revocation of the suspension orders, withdrawal of the “false and frivolous” FIRs lodged against doctors, and registration of an FIR against the main accused involved in the assault on resident doctors.

Also read- Violence at AMU JNMC: On-duty Orthopaedics resident doctors assaulted by mob, RDA demands strict action

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that the two medicos were allegedly brutally assaulted by a mob of patient attendants and sustained serious injuries, with the female doctor bleeding from the mouth, while the other doctor present at the scene suffered severe injuries, including a fracture.

Explaining the incident, Dr Sami Ahmed Khan, President, RDA, JNMCH, told Medical Dialogues that the alleged assault happened on May 5 at around 1:30 PM in the Plaster Room of the Trauma Centre.

He said that a Junior Resident 1 (JR1) from the Department of Orthopaedics was attending to a patient with soft tissue injury and had advised the patient's attendants to arrange the required materials for application of a slab. During the course of treatment, the attendants became increasingly aggressive and started alleging a delay in management despite ongoing medical care. The situation escalated rapidly when the attendants forcefully entered the plaster room and physically pushed the JR1 while he was on duty.

Prior to the incident, Dr Sami said that the JR1 had already requested the security guard present there to restrict the excessive number of attendants entering the room and to maintain order inside the treatment area. However, the guard refused to intervene and stated that the plaster room was “not under his domain,” thereby failing to ensure basic security and crowd control within the emergency treatment area.

As the situation worsened, a female Orthopaedic JR2 and a male JR3, who were coming out of the Operating Theatre after emergency duties, intervened in an attempt to de-escalate the violence and protect their colleague. During this intervention, both residents sustained significant injuries. The male JR3 suffered a metacarpal fracture, while the female JR2 sustained an alveolar socket injury during the physical altercation.

Following this assault on resident doctors inside the hospital premises, he said that the residents gathered peacefully in the Casualty Medical Officer (CMO) Room to discuss the grave security failure and repeated incidents of violence against healthcare workers. During this discussion, the Assistant Proctor deputed for hospital security was questioned regarding the absence of adequate security measures and accountability. 

In response, he allegedly said that "we cannot be there for you 24 hours." The residents, already distressed due to the assault on their colleagues, replied that if resident doctors are expected to perform duties continuously for 24 hours in emergency settings, then the administration and security apparatus must also remain accountable round the clock for ensuring their safety.

"Instead of addressing the concerns raised by the resident doctors, the Assistant Proctor allegedly started abusing the residents and physically pushed them out of the CMO room forcefully, further aggravating the already tense and emotionally charged situation. Subsequently, the Resident Doctors Association (RDA), JNMCH, raised legitimate and peaceful demands, including registration of an FIR against the primary accused involved in assaulting doctors and the removal of the Assistant Proctor from his post owing to his conduct and failure to maintain security. However, these demands were not addressed by the Chief Proctor, who remained aligned with his staff and did not adequately hear or acknowledge the concerns of the resident doctors," Dr Sami said. 

Later, the police registered an FIR against the doctors under several sections of BNS based on the statement of the patient's attendants. As a result, the Resident Doctors Association, JNMCH, is currently holding a peaceful sit-in protest at the Glasshouse, Dean’s Office, JNMCH, AMU.

Also read- Female doctor assaulted at AMU Hospital; resident doctors go on strike