On-duty doctor assaulted by mob at District Hospital Gurdaspur

Gurdaspur: A violent altercation between rival groups erupted at the District Hospital in Gurdaspur, during which the attackers allegedly manhandled the on-duty doctor, created panic among patients, and forced other doctors and hospital staff to flee for safety, as the rival groups reportedly damaged hospital property, particularly the doctor's cabin.

The clash took place in the emergency ward on Saturday night when both groups reached the hospital for treatment after a fight on Kahnuwan Road. Although no one at the hospital was injured during the altercation, the situation caused chaos, disrupted hospital operations, and raised serious concerns about the safety of the doctor and healthcare staff, whose security was clearly compromised.

At first, two injured men, Amritpal Singh and Gurinder Singh from the first group, arrived for treatment. Dr. Rohit, who was on duty in the emergency department, said Gurinder had a head injury and was referred to Amritsar. Meanwhile, Amritpal Singh was being shifted to the ward.

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As this happened, members of the rival group arrived at the hospital and tried to enter the doctor's cabin. When the people inside shut the door, the attackers tried to force their way in, breaking the glass door in the process. They eventually managed to get inside and started fighting with the others, Jagran reports.

The clash didn’t end there. Both groups later confronted each other again near the emergency area before the attackers fled.

TOI has reported that hospital CCTV footage showed the attackers had covered their faces in the ward, then entered the doctor's room, attacked the other group, and fled the scene.

The situation created fear among the hospital staff. On Sunday afternoon, SSP Aditya and Deputy Commissioner Dalvinderjit Singh visited the hospital and spoke to the medical staff about the incident.

SSP Aditya said that CCTV footage is being reviewed to identify the accused, and arrests will be made soon. DC Singh added that those responsible will have to pay for the damage done to public property.

Meanwhile, doctors and hospital staff have expressed serious concerns about their safety, stating that incidents like these, in the absence of proper security, make it difficult for them to perform their duties effectively. “There’s no security for doctors and staff. In such an atmosphere, performing duty is very difficult,” said the doctors.

Following the incident, the Punjab Civil Medical Services Association (PCMSA) Gurdaspur unit, led by Dr. Kanwarpal Singh and Dr. Janatan, swiftly took action. With the support of Civil Surgeon Dr. Prabhjot Kalsi and SMO In-Charge Dr. Arvind Mahajan, they promptly sent a letter to the police authorities, demanding immediate registration of an FIR under the Medicare Act and other relevant sections, along with the swift arrest of the culprits involved.

The above efforts were effectively augmented by the prompt intervention of H’ble health minister Dr.Balbir Singh, who strongly directed the police authorities and local administration to nab the culprits and book them under stringent sections.

Taking immediate action in this regard, the police department registered a first information report (FIR) against both parties under the relevant sections of the Punjab Protection of Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention Of Violence And Damage To Property) Act and launched an investigation in connection.

Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Balbir Singh said that the hospital is a peaceful place and any kind of violence, clashes, quarrels, or vandalism will not be tolerated in the premises of the hospital under any circumstances. He said that violence against any medical personnel and damage to hospital property is a non-bailable offence, and any violation of hospital protocol will not be tolerated at any cost. He has directed the district administration to take strict legal action against the culprits.

Meanwhile, talking to reporters at District Hospital Gurdaspur, Deputy Commissioner Mr. Dalwinderjit Singh said that the persons who clashed at District Hospital Gurdaspur will not be spared, and a case has been registered against all the culprits. He said that the administration will make the culprits pay 10 times for all the damage caused to the hospital. On this occasion, he took all the information about the incident from the doctors and health staff of the hospital and assured to ensure the security of the hospital.

On this occasion, SSP Gurdaspur Mr. Aditya said that all the accused involved in the clash at the hospital have been identified and a case has been registered against the accused persons under the relevant sections of the Punjab Protection Of Medicare Service Persons And Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention Of Violence And Damage To Property) Act.

He said that this dispute took place between two parties and no doctor or staff were harmed during the clash. He said that provisions were also made regarding the damage caused to the hospital during the dispute. He said that all the accused will be arrested soon. He said that no one will be allowed to create a ruckus in the hospitals.

This incident follows a similar past incident that had occurred in DH Hoshiarpur and SDH Dera Bassi a few days ago. With the active intervention of the PCMSA Hoshiarpur and Mohali units and SMO i/c Dr.Swati Sheemar, Dr.Kuldeep Singh (Hoshiarpur) and Dr.Dharminder (Dera Bassi), FIRs with relevant sections, including the Medicare Act, were registered against the miscreants.

The above matter has once again brought into focus the burning issue of the security of on-duty healthcare professionals at various public healthcare facilities of the state. In this regard, the health department had shared a preliminary draft framework with PCMSA a couple of months ago, for which the FD’s nod is awaited.

PCMSA had been assured that at the administrative level, it has been unequivocally decided that the security measures will be in place very soon. PSHFW Sh. Kumar Rahul Sir had strongly reiterated this in the meeting held on 17th January 2025.

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