Hyderabad: Relatives of a patient who died during treatment at the Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences (Nims) Hospital on Thursday thrashed a resident doctor of the nephrology department, holding him responsible for the patient’s death.
Doctors said that the mob of around 12 persons held the victim, Dr Rahul Nair, by his collar, tried to throttle him and abused him, following which hospital staff intervened and rescued Dr Nair.
The patient, a 62-year-old woman, was admitted to the hospital in the early hours of Thursday, and died of emphysematous pyelonephritis (EPN) and sepsis, doctors said.
As soon as the death was announced, the relatives barged into the Acute Respiratory Care Unit (ARCU) and tried to attack a female resident doctor, when Dr Rahul Nair intervened and tried to explain the circumstances surrounding the death.
In a statement, the Resident Doctors Association (RMA) of NIMS said, “We work day and night to treat and save patients, but we get assaults and harassment in return.”
The association, demanding stringent action against the culprits, further stated: “We also demand Special Protection Force as per GO MS No. 103 for prevention of violence against doctors and healthcare personnel.”
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) of Telangana also expressed concern over the incident.
“IMA Telangana stands against any form of violence or harassment against doctors. The Telangana government should take urgent and stringent action, with strict punishment for the culprits,” IMA demanded.
While doctors claimed that they had lodged a complaint with the police, police said they did not receive any complaint from the doctors or the hospital authorities.
