Despite growing concerns about the safety of medical staff, a junior doctor at the Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences (SVIMS) in Tirupati was attacked by a patient, highlighting the ongoing challenges facing doctors in India.
The incident at the Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences was recorded by a CCTV camera at the hospital.
According to the video footage, the attacker grabbed the doctor by her hair and slammed her head against the steel frame of a hospital bed. Other doctors on the ward immediately rushed to their colleague’s aid and the attacker was overpowered and taken away.
Dr. RV Kumar, the intern, wrote a letter to the Director and Vice Chancellor of SVIMS informing her that she would be on duty in Emergency Medicine on Saturday.
“I was unexpectedly attacked by a patient, Bangaru Raju, who approached me from behind, pulled my hair and started violently hitting my head against the steel bar of a cot,” she wrote, adding that there were no security personnel on site to help her.
The junior doctor stressed the need for improved workplace safety in light of the recent attack, saying the situation could have turned fatal had the patient been armed. She called for immediate action to improve security measures and protect hospital staff.
Following the incident, doctors at the hospital protested and demanded workplace safety.
It may be mentioned here that the incident at the Andhra Hospital took place just weeks after the gruesome rape and murder of a junior doctor at the RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata on August 9.
The 31-year-old was raped and killed while on duty. The brutal incident sparked massive protests and doctors from several leading institutions across the country took to the streets to demand measures to ensure their safety at work.
The Supreme Court has now set up a 10-member national task force to recommend measures to prevent violence against health workers and ensure working conditions for them. The court has said the task force will prepare an action plan to prevent gender-based violence and ensure a dignified working environment for doctors.
(With contributions from agencies)
