Jharkhand Shocker: Paediatrician brutally attacked by mob with iron rods after infant's death

Deoghar: In yet another case of violence against medical professionals, a paediatrician was allegedly brutally assaulted at his clinic by the relatives of a one-month-old infant who passed away despite the doctor having advised the family to admit the baby for better treatment, which they reportedly chose to ignore. 

The doctor, who runs Arogya Shishu Kendra and is also posted at Sadar Hospital, was attacked by over a dozen individuals at his residence. The assailants reportedly scaled the boundary wall to gain entry, assaulted him with iron rods, inflicted head injuries, and broke his hand.

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The attendants vandalised both the medical facility and the doctor's residence. Following the attack, the doctor filed a complaint at the police station, and an FIR was registered under relevant BNS sections, reports The Jharkhand Story. 

The attack has drawn strong condemnation from the medical associations. Doctors of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and Jharkhand State Health Service Association (JHASA) boycotted work on Wednesday, demanding the arrest of those responsible for the incident.

Around 250 doctors across the district went on strike from 8 am on Wednesday. During this time, OPD services of all government and private hospitals and clinics of the district remained completely closed. However, emergency services were kept running so that serious patients could be treated immediately.

Due to the doctors being on strike in the district, OPD services were not available in various hospitals of the district, and about 6,000 patients in the district could not get health facilities.

The president of the Indian Medical Association (Deoghar chapter), Dr D Tiwari, told TOI, "Three days have passed since the incident, though we gave police two days to arrest the accused. This shows the casual approach of police towards ensuring safety of medical practitioners. We will resort to an indefinite strike if authorities fail to address our concerns."

The strike, which had been going on for the last two days, ended late on Thursday evening after the police arrested the individuals who reportedly assaulted the doctor. 

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