Friday, May 14, 2010
Patient's attendant allegedly slapped a duty doctor in the casualty wing

Hubli: Junior doctors and house surgeons of Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) and Hospital have abstained from attending medical services following an assault on a junior doctor by a patient's attendant on Wednesday night.

The junior doctors took the decision to stay away from medical services after Dr. Ravi Pattar, who was on duty at the casualty wing of KIMS on Wednesday night, was slapped by a patient's attendant for reportedly telling a patient suffering from gangrene to get treated at the Out-Patient Department on Thursday as it was not an emergency case. Following the incident, the junior doctors took the decision to boycott work and said that they would resume work only after security was provided to them and their other demands were met. The police took into custody Siddanagouda Patil, a Karnataka Rakshana Vedike activist from Morab village of Dharwad taluk who allegedly slapped Dr. Pattar.

However, the protesters refused to return to work although KIMS director M.G. Hiremath assured them of requisite measures.

On Thursday morning, they continued their agitation demanding special protection to duty doctors and posting of more police personnel in the casualty block. They said they could not work until and unless remedial steps were taken as their lives were under threat.

Dr Hiremath on Wednesday told the agitating junior doctors that the security contract would be given to a new agency which provided ex-servicemen as guards.

He said the police would be asked to post 10 to 12 policemen in the hospital premises and CCTV cameras would be installed in casualty block and sought 15 days for implementation.

However, the agitators did not budge an inch. They said they would withdraw protest only after their demands were met.
Meanwhile, Dr. Hiremath told presspersons that he had received at least a dozen calls threatening him to withdraw the complaint filed against the assailant. He said he had reported the matter to the police. He said in the wake of the incident, the hospital would take steps to restrict the entry of people visiting the patients and henceforth visitors would not be allowed inside the hospital between 8 a.m. and noon.