Violence Yet Again: Female Intern attacked by patient, hair pulled, abuses hurled

New Delhi: Taking prompt action regarding the recent attack on a female intern doctor of Hindu Rao Hospital, the hospital's administration has decided to lodge an institutional FIR.

Apart from this, the Medical Superintendent of the Hospital has also agreed to the demands of the Resident Doctors' Association (RDA) regarding the appointment of Bouncers in casualty and emergency. 

The MS has assured that the matter will be pressed with higher authorities personally, the president of RDA, Dr. Siddharth Tara informed Medical Dialogues. This comes after the recent meeting between the RDA and the Hospital administration on 03.05.2023 at 2:30 PM.

On Tuesday, the Resident Doctors' Association (RDA) wrote to the Medical Superintendent and sought action against the incident of violence against the intern trainee doctor.

The incident of violence took place on May 1, 2023 near the nursing station of surgery casualty 1-2 AM. Referring to the incident, RDA mentioned in the letter, "The attack was completely unprovoked, since the said doctor had not even participated in the verbal tussle that was ongoing between the nursing officer and the patient. Even though there were male medical personnel present there, it is more than clear that the patient who was herself a female deliberately chose to Target the female doctor expecting minimal chance of retaliation as her victim, the doctor was also a female, even though the doctor had no role in this whole series of event, until of course the very moment she was brutalised."

"Her hair were pulled, expletives about her character were hurled, she was slapped, while the security guard who was supposed to protect her, just stood in the corner cowardly seeing everything," added the letter.

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Criticising the incident of violence, the RDA further mentioned, "This only highlights how vulnerable young female medical personnel on floor duties are. This cannot be considered and accepted as another job hazard, where an unfortunate person finds oneself at the wrong place at the wrong timez like a victim of an laboratory contamination or vehicular collision due to malfunctioning equipment. Laboding say and night alike, in wards and casualty of a teaching hospital, is exactly the right place where a trainee doctor is supposed to be. The only thing wrong here is the violence which hospital security could not prevent."

"This was not an accident of random chance, where no one is guilty except mechanical failure, this was an incident of active violence which happened because of systematic failure. This is a reflection of how unimportant public funded health care is in the eyes of the policy makers, and this directly translates into total apathy for safety of young doctors who are the ones who deliver that health care to the masses. It was us, the young medical personnel who answered the call of duty in COVID times. We never shield away from duty and the dangers that come with it. We accept the risk of HIV, HCV, HBV, MDR TB, XDR TB, bird flu, swine flu infections, but we do not accept being brutalised and humiliated in our own workplace," the letter further mentioned.

RDA had demanded immediate administrative action against those responsible for the security failure, institutional FIR against the perpetrators of the attack, immediate and permanent up haul in hospital security with competent personnel.

The association had warned that if their demands were not fulfilled, they would withdraw from all emergency services given the unsafe working environment in casualty. "We refuse to accept unprovoked unjust violence as our "job hazard", we refuse to be dispensable. We are not Expendables," the association had mentioned.

However, after the meeting on Wednesday, the doctors are satisfied with the action that the administration has taken regarding the incident of violence. Already, the administration has assured to lodge an institutional FIR and they have also agreed to other demands for increasing the strength of the security.

Speaking to Medical Dialogues in this regard, Dr. Siddharth added, "After the meeting with the Medical Superintendent, we are satisfied with the sensitive approach that the administration has taken."

"People should know how dangerous the profession of a young doctor has become. The most important question is why are they attacking the doctors. Patients must understand that attacking a medical professional is actually harmful to patients only because the doctor who is supposed to take care of a certain number of patients, he or she won't be able to fulfill duties if such instances of violence happen and it will ultimately affect the patient care. That's why after the matter was resolved we have also issued a release with an appeal to the public," he added.

In the release dated May 3, 2023, the association mentioned, "The sympathetic and supportive response from hospital administration led by Medical Superintendent has boosted the morale amongst the young medical personnel who are the backbone of a public funded medical college and hospital like ours, and RDA is thankful for that. We are hopeful that MCD will follow through with these recommendations and uphaul the hospital security."

The association has also appealed to the public in general and mentioned, "Keeping in mind that such physical attacks on medical personnel are becoming way more frequent and all too common across the nation, our appeal is to the masses in general, the residents of Delhi and citizens of our country, if they are displeased with health care provided by medical personnel in a hospital there are numerous and easily accessible way of getting your complaints heard but unjust violence out of misplaced anger that Leads to maiming of a medical personnel whose skills and services are irreplaceable for the whole area that hospital covers, especially in emergency or casualty scenario deprives a whole swathe of other more serious patients who needed his or her services urgently. Destruction of hospital property is equal to burning your own paid tax money. A young doctor on floor duty in a hospital has little say in the nation and state wide policies that shape the overall hospital experience of a patient and their relatives. And in that moment on a night shift he or she has no power to change the situation overnight."

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