Patient’s relatives beat up junior doctors at Civil

AHMEDABAD: Junior doctors on duty at Civil Hospital were beaten up by relatives of a patient who died on Wednesday night. Doctors at the hospital went on a flash strike, demanding strict action against the accused and security personnel who allegedly just looked on while the doctors were being assaulted.
Shahibaug police registered an FIR against four relatives of Udaysinh Parihar. Two persons, Sanjaykumar Parihar and Rajkumar Parihar, were arrested. Junior doctors called off their strike when senior police officers promised strict action against the two SRP constables and two Home Guard jawans deployed at the trauma ward, if they are found guilty of negligence or dereliction of duty.

F Division ACP Rajesh Gadhiya said Udaysinh Parihar was brought to Civil Hospital on Wednesday with grievous injuries to his left hand and left leg.

“He had sustained the injuries as the pneumatic hammer he was using to pull down a concrete slab slipped from his hands and struck him. He was brought in a critical condition with severe bleeding,” said Gadhiya.

Police sources said Parihar was rushed to the operation theatre but couldn’t be saved. “The patient’s relatives rushed into the operation theatre and attacked the doctors. They alleged that Parihar died as the doctors did not provide timely medical attention,” a police source said.

As news about doctors being beaten up by relatives of a patient spread on the Civil Hospital campus, other resident doctors gathered and went on a flash strike.

On Thursday morning, resident doctors gathered around the office of superintendent M M Prabhakar, demanding immediate arrests, a police source said.

“The doctors alleged that two SRP jawans and two Home Guard jawans deployed at the Trauma Centre remained mute spectators during the assault. According to the jawans, however, they rushed to the area near the operation theatre and tried their best to forestall the violence. We are investigating whether the jawans were negligent in any way,” said Gadhiya.

JCP (crime branch) J K Bhatt was rushed to Civil Hospital to speak with the doctors. The strike call was withdrawn as Bhatt promised that an inquiry would be conducted against the jawans concerned.