VIJAYAWADA: A pregnant doctor on duty was assaulted by an individual in the emergency department of the government general hospital in Eluru town of Andhra Pradesh late on Sunday night.
The attack has sent shock waves through the medical community, as it follows closely on the heels of a similar assault on a doctor in Tirupati, and an earlier incident in Kolkata.
Though the incident took place on Sunday night it came to light on Tuesday.
According to YV Ramana, inspector of Eluru II Town police, an altercation erupted late on Sunday night between two groups at Undrajavaram in Denduluru mandal of Eluru district. The injured persons were rushed to the emergency department of GGH Eluru, where they requested the attending doctor to issue a medico-legal case (MLC) report.
However, the doctor informed them that the report would be furnished only after the completion of necessary treatment.
Enraged by the response, Boddeti Mohan, who was accompanying the injured individuals, assaulted the doctor. The hospital’s security staff intervened, forcing Mohan to flee the premises.
The doctor said she filed a complaint with II Town police station, but no action has been taken against the assailant so far. The alleged delay by the police in nabbing the accused has invited the wrath of the hospital staff, who demanded the police to arrest Mohan immediately.
Ramana, however, refuted police inaction claims, stating that a case was immediately registered on receipt of the complaint. He, however, admitted that the accused is still at large and teams have been formed to arrest him.
Dr Sermista, Eluru DMHO, said though she was not present at the scene she can surmise that patients are often highly emotional in such cases. “They request, or rather demand, MLC reports, which are not typically provided to patients. Those reports should only be given to police for further action,” she said.
The medical community in Eluru district have expressed outrage over the incident and demanded enhanced security measures in all government hospitals.
In a similar incident on August 24, a doctor at Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences (SVIMS) in Tirupati was assaulted by a patient identified as Bangarraju, who was admitted to the hospital after suffering a seizure. The man grabbed a female intern doctor by the hair and slammed her head against the steel frame of a hospital bed after receiving intravenous fluids. The incident, captured on CCTV, took place in the absence of security personnel. The doctor sustained minor injuries.
