Video of alleged assault on patient at Jind Civil Hospital sparks controversy

Jind: In a shocking incident, a couple who visited the emergency ward of Civil Hospital in Jind for treatment were allegedly assaulted by hospital staff following an argument over the delay in providing medicines. The incident triggered controversy after a video purportedly showing a man assaulting a youth and grabbing him by the neck surfaced on social media.  

According to the news reports, the patient, a taxi driver and resident of Bhagwan Nagar, and his wife had visited the hospital's emergency ward on Thursday after allegedly being assaulted by his maternal uncle's sons following a dispute at a family gathering. 

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The patient alleged that despite being in pain, the couple had to wait for nearly two hours without receiving proper treatment. As his pain intensified, he repeatedly approached the doctor to request medication but claimed that no medicines were provided. 

He further alleged that a security guard threatened him for repeatedly approaching the doctor. When he requested the staff either to provide medicines or refer him to another facility, the guard allegedly assaulted him with slaps and punches. His wife was also allegedly manhandled and beaten during the incident. 

A video of the incident has since surfaced, showing a man allegedly assaulting a youth before grabbing him by the neck. The youth is reportedly an employee in the hospital's CT scan department.

The matter gained further attention on Friday when Haryana Assembly Deputy Speaker Krishan Middha and Jind Superintendent of Police Upasana Yadav visited the hospital and interacted with the affected couple to learn about the incident.

Following their visit, two security guards were removed from duty.

Speaking to TOI, Middha said that senior doctors generally behave properly with patients, but some newly recruited doctors have forgotten their responsibilities. He pulled up the civil surgeon, saying that she had failed to take appropriate action against doctors in such cases. He also expressed dissatisfaction with the functioning of the civil surgeon. Expressing his displeasure, Middha said that when doctors misbehave with patients at the general hospital, the government ultimately faces criticism. When civil surgeon Suman Kohli assured him that action would be taken, Middha responded angrily, saying that he would now take action himself in the matter.

During the visit, the victim, Shammi, broke down in tears while narrating his ordeal to the deputy speaker. The patient also alleged that he was asked to pay money for treatment. Middha said that as soon as he came across the viral video, he travelled directly from Chandigarh to the hospital. He added that he had been receiving repeated complaints about the behaviour of newly recruited doctors. He had also asked the civil surgeon several times to organise a meeting with the new doctors, but no such meeting had been arranged so far. 

Principal Medical Officer (PMO) of the civil hospital, Dr Raghubir Poonia, said the hospital authorities were gathering details of the incident and assured that appropriate action would be taken in accordance with the rules after an inquiry, reports The Tribune.

The incident has sparked concerns over patient safety, the conduct of hospital personnel and the availability of timely medical care in emergency wards. Further action is expected after the hospital authorities complete their inquiry.

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