Female doctor, ICU Staff at Rajawadi Hospital assaulted by patient's kin

Mumbai: In another case of alleged violence against medical professionals, a 40-year-old female medical officer and staff of Rajawadi Hospital were reportedly physically assaulted and verbally abused by a patient's relative. The incident occurred following a dispute over the decision to place the patient on a ventilator due to a decline in his health.

In response, the doctor filed a complaint against the patient's relative who appears to be the sister. Following this, the Tilak Nagar Police registered a case and arrested her under charges including assaulting a public servant, damaging property, and criminal intimidation, among other sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Maharashtra Medicare Service Person and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss to Property) Act, 2010.

In his complaint, the doctor claimed that the accused became angry and allegedly started throwing medical equipment, including defibrillators, on the floor and towards staff members. She further alleged that the accused verbally abused him and other nurses and staff at the ICU. 

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As per the Free Press Journal news report, the incident took place after a 28-year-old patient was brought to the hospital with symptoms of fever, disorientation, and loose motions. After examining him, the doctor advised his admission. On November 5, the patient was admitted to the hospital's male ward. 

However, the patient's condition took a worse turn and he was subsequently transferred to the ICU the following day. It was alleged that began making incoherent claims, such as his sister being in danger of kidnapping and his own life being threatened due to his disorientation. However, the accused blamed the hospital staff for her brother’s paranoia, believing they had exacerbated his mental distress.

The doctor who has served at the hospital since 2016 observing the patient's condition recommended administering medication in the early hours of November 7. When a nurse attempted to inject the medicine, the patient resisted by pushing her away and repeatedly removing his oxygen mask. Later, the doctor had to temporarily restrain his hands to stabilise the patient. After seeing his hands tied down, the accused became angry and proceeded to physically and verbally assault a ward boy. However, she later apologised to the doctor. 

According to the doctor's statement, the patient's condition worsened on the night of November 7. As a result, the doctor informed his family about placing him on a ventilator. However, the accused was enraged and became emotional as claimed by the doctor. This led to physical assault and verbal abuse against the doctor, nurses and the staff. 

Afterwards, the hospital authorities informed the police about the incident when the situation began to escalate. Accordingly, the situation was brought under control and the accused has been arrested. 

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