On-duty House Surgeon assaulted by drunk patient at Ernakulum medical college

Twenty-four-year-old Doyal, a native of Vattekunnam in nearby Edapally, was arrested late on Monday night following the incident, Kalamassery police here said.

The incident happened at 10:50 pm last night (May 15). Dr Irfan Khan, the house surgeon, was attacked. Doyal had come to the Ernakulam Medical College for treatment after being injured in an accident,” P R Santhosh, Circle Inspector of Police said.

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The accused sought treatment at the government medical college after he suffered injuries in a road accident last night, they said.

According to hospital staff, he behaved in a strange manner from the time he came to the premises. He tried to manhandle the doctor who came to treat him.

In a purported video of Doyal, which went viral on social media platforms today morning, he could be seen arguing and threatening the doctor and other hospital staff.

Some other persons, who accompanied him, could be seen trying to calm him down but he continued to behave in a rude manner with the healthcare workers.

The man was later controlled by the security personnel of the hospital and the Kalamassery police were informed.

Before he was shifted to the police vehicle, the man could be seen apparently threatening the doctor saying that he remembers his face clearly, as shown in the video.

A senior police officer told PTI that various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Hospital Protection Act were slapped on the accused.

“His arrest was recorded under IPC Sections 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 294 (b) (use abusive words) and 506 (criminal intimidation) besides the sections of the Hospital Protection Act. He will be produced before court today,” the officer said.

The incident comes just days after a woman doctor was brutally stabbed to death by a patient she was attending to at a hospital in the Kollam district.

Dr Vandana Das, a native of the Kaduthuruthy area of Kottayam district and a house surgeon at Azeezia Medical College Hospital, was working at the Kottarakkara taluk hospital as part of her training. She was stabbed several times and later succumbed to her injuries on May 10.

Following the attack on her, protests erupted in various hospitals across the state with healthcare professionals, medical interns, students and house surgeons taking to the streets.

Medical Dialogues team had earlier reported that amidst the protest from doctors demanding new legislation to ensure the safety of medical professionals at their workplace following the gruesome killing of Dr Vandana Das, the State Government of Kerala had announced more measures to assuage their concerns, including setting up of a panel to address the fraternity’s long-pending demands.

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