Doctor suffers damage to rib and lung in attack by patient’s kin

HYDERABAD: A brutal assault by a patient’s family on a senior paediatrician at his clinic in Himayathnagar has left the city’s medical fraternity shocked.



The two offenders — Ghulam Mustafa and Abdul Fazil — were arrested and sent to judicial custody.

Paediatrician Dr Michael Aranha, whose four ribs got fractured and damaged his lungs after an assault by the two persons on December 28, is now recuperating at Udai Omni Hospital.

“He was in agony when brought in and could barely breathe. He had suffered pneumothorax (multiple rib fractures) and is currently recovering from it. He is stable now, but could have been much worse, if there was any further delay in medical attention (he was brought in 12-13 hours after the attack). His lungs were punctured by the broken ribs and air had collected outside them,” Dr Uday Prakash, director of the hospital, told TOI.

Though the incident occurred last week, it came to light on Monday. A case was registered under Sections 448 and 326 of the Indian Penal Code as well as under Section 4 of the Telangana Medical Service Persons and Medical Service Institutions (Prevention of violence and damage of property) Act, 2008, at the Narayanguda police station.

As per the FIR, the motive for the attack was ‘alleged imagined insult of the wife of the prime accused (Mustafa)’. It states that Mustafa, who had visited the doctor’s clinic with his wife and child, first went back only to return to the clinic later with Fazil in tow, to attack the doctor.

Speaking to TOI, DCP, Central Zone, P Vishwaprasad said: “The accused went for consultation to the doctor’s clinic as his child was suffering from some ailment. He alleged that the doctor’s conduct was objectionable, which provoked him to go back and get his friend to question the doctor. Their accusations are not coherent though. These allegations will be be investigated, while the two have already been sent to jail.”

Fellow doctors, maintain the attack was unprovoked and pre-planned. Indian Medical Association, Telangana, secretary Dr Sanjeev Singh Yadav said, “They are levelling false accusations. They have attacked the doctor and are saying things to justify their deed. They even tried to say that he demanded money and then changed their version.”