Attack on Doctors: TN Doctors call off strike after safety assurances

Coming under the umbrella of the Tamil Nadu Resident Doctors Association (TNRDA), the resident doctors of Tamil Nadu went on an indefinite strike on Wednesday. This came after an oncologist on duty at Kalainagar Centenary Hospital was stabbed seven times by a patient's son and an Assistant Professor in the Psychiatry Department at Government Stanley Hospital was assaulted by a patient while attending to other patients in the outpatient ward.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that after receiving several stab wounds in his neck, head, and upper chest, the doctor at Kalainagar Centenary Hospital was rushed to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the same hospital in critical condition. The doctors suspended the elective duties, and emergency services remained unaffected. Tamil Nadu Government Doctors Association (TNGDA) and Indian Medical Association (IMA) also participated in the protest, demanding proper safety for on-duty doctors and strict action against the assaulters.

Talking to Medical Dialogues, Dr V Vignesh President of TNRDA stated, “We have specifically asked to restrict the number of attendants visiting patients each day. Also, before entering the hospital, they should undergo proper security checks as happens in the airport or cinema halls to ensure safety while visiting the patient. A visitor pass should only be issued after the member visiting the patient undergoes a proper security check-up. Authorities should also make the present Hospital Protection Act stricter so that people should think twice before raising their hand on a doctor.”

“We have to put our foot down to ensure that our demands are met. If we don’t get a written assurance soon, the situation will snowball for sure. We are thinking of approaching the central government to implement the Central Health Protection Act. Government should give us the right to refuse treatment to a patient if our lives are at stake. We try to save the patients also but if someone is going to kill me why should we put our lives on the line for them,” he further added.

"Doctors have withdrawn the protest which they have announced before. We have assured about the safety of the doctors so they are withdrawing the protest," the health minister said in a press conference, reports ANI. The state's Directorate of Public Health and Preventative Medicine also issued a notification announcing certain safety measures for healthcare workers. The notification said to regulate access of the general public and relatives of the patients, ensure the functioning of CCTV cameras and adequate lighting, and regular patrolling by police officials at Primary Health Centres among many other measures.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister MK Stalin posted on a social media platform stating, "The incident where the doctor working at Kindi Kalyan Centenary Hospital was stabbed by a family member of the patient is shocking. The person involved in this atrocity was immediately arrested. I have ordered the authorities to give the doctor all the necessary treatment and to conduct a detailed inquiry into the incident. The selfless work of our government doctors is immeasurable in providing appropriate treatment to the patients who seek government hospitals regardless of time. It is our duty to ensure their safety when they work. The government will take all measures to prevent such incidents from happening in the future."

Also Read: Chennai Shocker: Oncologist Stabbed multiple times by Patient's Son, Critical