House surgeon attacked by two persons at Ernakulum General Hospital

Kochi: In yet another incidence of violence against medical professionals, two men have been arrested and slapped with non-bailable charges for allegedly brutally assaulting a house surgeon at the Ernakulam General Hospital in Kochi on National Doctor’s Day in the wee hours of Saturday.

The police held the duo under charges of Sections 3 and 4 (violence against healthcare service persons or damage or loss to property and punishment therein) of the Kerala Healthcare Service Persons and Healthcare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage to Property) Act, 2012.

The male doctor was allegedly attacked by the accused for questioning them when they tried to misbehave with a woman colleague, who was also on duty. Both the doctors were house surgeons at the state-run hospital, they said.

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The male doctor was thrashed after being pushed down by the accused. He suffered serious injuries in the attack and is under treatment now.

The accused, identified as Josneil and Roson Robin of Mattancherry, are said to have arrived at the hospital to visit a relative, who was admitted there.

The incident took place when the doctor and his colleague were having tea outside the hospital cafeteria after duty hours. The accused who were in an intoxicated state made remarks about the woman doctor which prompted the male doctor to react leading to a heated altercation. Following this, the accused became angry and started beating the doctor brutally.

By the time the woman doctor could bring the security personnel, the doctor was already injured. Later, the police were informed about the incident. The incident was captured in CCTV footage which was recovered by the police during a preliminary investigation conducted based on an FIR filed by the victim's doctor.

“I resisted as much as I could. I got hold of one of their mobile phones as they retreated, and I passed it on to the police. What pained me was that even the patients [for whom] I had prescribed medicines [a little while ago] simply stood and watched,” the doctor informedTH.

“They fled the spot when a police team reached the hospital after getting information about the attack. Based on eye-witness accounts and upon examining the CCTV visuals, we identified the accused and took them into custody later," a senior police officer told PTI.

“The accused were drunk at the time of the incident and were hung over even while they were nabbed. They were also accused in cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS),” said police sources. The accused were taken to the hospital for evidence collection and medical examination following which they were produced in court.

The arrest was recorded under the sections of the Hospital Protection Act and they were produced before the court and are currently remanded in jail.

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