While violence from patients’ attendants and family members is an unfortunate reality that healthcare workers must operate under, a resident doctor at a medical hospital in Delhi was attacked by his own colleagues in a shocking incident.
The resident doctor, who worked at the Cardiology Department of the Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital (RGSSH), was attacked along with his parents by three men who worked at the hospital as staff members.
Responding to the incident, the Resident Doctors’ Association (RDA) at the hospital issued a complaint to Dr Ashish Goyal, the hospital director, urging him to take strict action against the perpetrators and ensure safe working conditions at the hospital.
The doctors also began a strike and ceased all Out Patient Department (OPD) duties, except Emergency duties.
What happened
According to a representative of the hospital’s RDA, the father of the victim arrived at the hospital on Saturday, December 14, to deliver lunch to their son. However, on their way back after their delivery, they found the perpetrators, ie Vishal, who worked as a Nursing Orderly, and Monu and Dhanno, who were staff members, sitting on the victim's parked two-wheeler.
The representative details that Vishal and the two other staff members started misbehaving with and verbally abusing the father when he asked the trio to get off their vehicle. The matter escalated when the resident doctor stepped out after finding out about the altercation, and the trio started attacking the resident doctor and his family with bamboo sticks lying nearby.
Moreover, when the resident doctors tried to register a complaint at the local police station, Vishal allegedly threatened the victim into reaching a "compromise".
"He told us that he would be released after two days of detention, and suggested that the doctor be careful after his release. This is a thinly veiled threat to his life, so we had to withdraw our complaint," the representative lamented.
Attack undermines safety of doctors and patients, RDs say
According to the representative, despite an official complaint, the hospital's administration has yet to file an Institutional FIR (First Investigation Report). Moreover, he alleges that Vishal, the main perpetrator is probably “being protected by someone in the administration.”
“Vishal is a repeat offender who already has two complaints of misbehaviour against him. Despite this, he does what he pleases and there is nobody to question him. He treats the hospital like it is his own home,” the representative says, on the condition of anonymity.
Such incidents only make the hospital a less safe space for both the staff working there and the patients, the representative adds.
“Patients come to our hospital to receive treatment and care, not witness miscreants ruling the roost and causing inconvenience to everyone around them. People like Vishal and his accomplices should have no place in any hospital,” he states.
In their letter to the Director, the resident doctors highlight the following demands:
Immediate termination of Vishal, Monu & Dhanno
An Institutional FIR against the trio
Implementation of stricter security measures to ensure the safety of medical workers and patients at the hospital
“We regret to inform you that unless proper action is taken and concrete steps are initiated to address this matter, we as a collective will not be able to carry out our duties,” the resident doctors write, adding that their strike would go on until the administration of the hospital takes action against the perpetrators.
Lending their support to the resident doctors, Dr Arun Kumar, National General Secretary of the United Doctors’ Front Association (UDFA) also advocates for more stringent background checks before hiring for any position.
“The hospital should ensure that people with a history or the propensity of violence must not be hired. If such people are hired through third-party recruitment agencies, the hospital must sever ties with them,” he states.
