Twenty two year old female Doctor stabbed to death by a drunkard accused criminal brought to the emergency by police. It happened in the presence of five Police personel. Dr Vandana Das lost her life at Kottarakkara government taluk hospital at Kollam district of Kerela on 10th Msy 2023 in India due to the gross failure of the healthcare system to protect its healthcare workforce. And the Health Minister of Kerala says that the doctor was inexperienced and couldn’t escape.
We, Doctors, are responsible for this situation. When media discredited us, we did not speak. When politicians and local goondas barged into hospitals and caught our collars, we did not speak. When mobs threatened us , we did not speak. When hospitals and ICUs were vandalised, we did not speak.
But we have to speak now. We will not tolerate any assault on a health care professional.
“People Assaulting Doctors and Daughters should be punished like terrorists”
"THIS IS NOT THE ONLY ATTACK”
List of assaults on doctors is endless . A chronicle of so many assaults on doctors across India is given below. And so many more go unreported. And Verbal assault is
“We are fighting for a better healthcare environment for the public of this country."
What are our demands?
Central Law to protect doctors ( even in Non Epidemic Time) - There were assaults on doctors before Corona Epidemic; there are assaults during the corona epidemic; and, if nothing is done, thee will be assaults on doctors after the Corona epidemic. Doctor's Protection Act should be stringent just like the Rape laws and Dowry laws.
Punish all who assault doctors - with every assault, morale of doctors decreases. We want motivated and empathetic doctors to treat the patients of this country. Assaulters must be punished.
Safe working environment where doctors can give their full attention to the patient without fearing assault.
Ease of filing FIR by doctor in cases of assault- Make it absolutely easy for the doctor to file an FIR. After the FIR is filed, the doctor should be provided protection and shoild not be harassed in any way.
Attacks on doctors and HCWs must be Non-bailable offence.
Justice for the attack on doctors at NRSMCH, Kolkata in 2019, justice for Dr Archana Sharma of Dausa, Rajasthan and many other named and unnamed doctors. Justice for every assault on doctors with fast-tracking of all cases of assault on doctors ( even retrospectively).
Better healthcare infrastructure for the people of this country.
Availability of all necessary medicines at all times - at times we cannot save a patient due to lack of medicines, and the public outrage is directed at doctors.
Doctor should be able to give more time to the patients - this is possible only if the number of doctors is increased with respect to the number of patients. Government should do this.
More ventilators in all hospitals - sometimes the patient dies due to unavailability of ventilators. And the public blames doctors. Not knowing that its the govenrment’s fault.
The public of this country has right to be treated by doctors who are well rested and with fresh mind - but this is not possible if there are less doctors and they are made to work 48 to 96 hr at a stretch without sleep and sometimes without food. Duty hours of doctors should be fixed at 8 hrs per day and 48 hr per week.
Patient should be given adequate time in the OPDs - Maximum Number of patients that can be seen by a doctor in OPD in one day should be fixed. If a doctor at the govt hospital treats 200 patients in 8 hours without single break, even then he cannot give more than 2-3 minute per patient.
Doctors should spend their time in treating patients rather than collect samples, transport papers from one part of hospital to other. There should be adequate ward boys for that. This way doctors could give more time to patients.
Restricting number of relatives who come to meet patients - Every relative who enters, brings with him germs. Number of complications increase due to this.
Public has the right to be treated by real qualified doctors - It is the duty of the government to clamp down on quacks. When the quacks will decrease, number of cases who reach a hospital late in critical condition will decrease.
Rampant sale of antibiotics at pharmacies should stop - It is the duty of govt to ensure that antibiotics are not sold without prescriptions. When antibiotics are not misused, antibiotic resistance will not increase, infections can be treated and deaths due to sepsis decrease.
Define Administrative negligence - Availability of Doctors, Paramedical staff, Adequate and good quality medicines, and equipment, stopping quacks from practicing, stopping the sale of medicines without a prescription, etc is the responsibility of Administration( IAS, IPS, Politicians, MLAs, Councillors, etc). Responsibility, accountability, and punishment must be defined.
Increase Healthcare Spending - With meager healthcare spending, healthcare infrastructure can never improve.
Services of a doctor are beyond consumer seller relation - The COVID19 Pandemic has very well established this. Remove services of doctors from consumer protection act and remove the draconian Clinical Establishment Acts.
Definition of Roles and Responsibilities in Government Hospitals and Medical Colleges - In the absence of any clear definition of roles and responsibilities in a hospital, specially in Medical Colleges, most of the responsibilities are passed on to the doctors, especially resident doctors. Hence, there is a need for role and responsibility definition of all the people working in the Hospital. National Medical Commission could play a pivotal role in it.
Thus, if there will be better healthcare, assaults will automatically come down.
Hence the doctors are fighting the administration and government to provide better healthcare to people of this country.
Help Doctors in this Mission
#DoctorsForBetterHealthcare
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"Doctors can guarantee best treatment, but doctors cannot guarantee 100% results."
India is struggling to meet the goals of reducing infant mortality and maternal mortality. There is gross lack of Emergency and Intensive Care facilities in smaller towns and cities alike.
All critical patients are referred to tertiary government hospitals where the standard of care obviously diminishes if patients flow in numbers many times more than the handling capacity of doctors there. Even tertiary private institutes are overburdened. Government medical colleges in smaller towns refer the patient indiscriminately. This is increasing the cost of healthcare immensely.
There is a need that indiscriminate referring be stopped. There is a need that the cases that can be handled at medical colleges in smaller towns be managed there. There is a need that smaller government or private hospitals and nursing homes become well equipped to deal with critical situations. But neither the doctors nor the hospitals are responsible for this current situation. The reason for this is that doctors are afraid to treat critical patients, nursing homes don't want to create facilities for intensive care and no one wants to admit critical patients. The reason is simple. In spite of the best efforts of doctors, nurses, nursing homes, hospitals, and medical colleges; a patient may die. After all, doctors are Doctors and not God. But, in an event of the death of a patient, no one will save the doctor. In the event of the death of a critical patient, nursing homes are vandalized. In the event of death of patients, angry relatives beat duty doctors black and blue as they did to Dr Amle in Parel, Mumbai and Dr Rohan of GMC, Dhule. In the event of the death of patients, even specialists like Dr Rohit Gupta of Allahabad are not spared. Incidents of assault on doctors are commonplace in West Bengal where the administration seems to have closed their eyes on assaults on doctors by their vote bank. We the brutality they did to a young doctor in DY Patil Hospital, Pune.
On 10th June 2019, a doctor fought for his life after brutal assault by a mob of 200 who were brought in 2 lorries on the death of a 90-year-old patient at NRS Medical College, Kolkata.
This happened again at Hindurao Hospital. A doctor suffered laceration on the scalp when patient relatives assaulted doctors in the casualty after death of a CKD patient.
In July 2019, a doctor was brutally assaulted after the death of elderly patient with myocardial infarction at LNJP (MAMC) hospital by a mob, New Delhi.
And then again it happened in Mumbai. 15 Relatives assault 3 doctors at Nair Hospital, Mumbai after death of 50-year-old critically ill seropositive patient.
On duty doctor of Pediatrics threatened, ambushed and beaten. All of this happened within the ward and doctor’s duty room by 25 terrorists-like patient relatives at a hospital in Odisha in 2019.
A 52-year-old doctor brutally and mercilessly assaulted, almost lost vision. The patient was his neighbor whom he took to the hospital in his own car. When the patient became serious, this is what they did to him - abducted him, threatened his wife to hand over the checkbook, made him sign cheques worth 50 lakhs, beat him and threw him on the road. This happened in 2019 too.
On 30 Aug 2019 in Assam - After a patient's death, locals got angry and brutally assaulted the doctor. The doctor died while being taken to the hospital. This happened at Teok Tea Estate in Jorhat, Assam.
On 20th February 2020, a senior and humble doctor was assaulted by patient attendants at CMRI hospital (a corporate private hospital) in Kolkata.
On 1st April 2020, a team of doctors which went to collect samples of Corona suspects was assaulted in Indore
60-year-old doctor assaulted brutally by a group of men in SDH Talcher, Odisha on 4th April 2020. This attack has happened amid the Coronavirus crisis.
On 7th April 2020, a lady doctor in Surat was harassed, obstructed to enter her own house and assaulted by people of her apartment.
On 15th April 2020, doctors and the medical team was assaulted and pelted with stones while going to collect samples from corona suspects.
On 19th April 2020 (amid the Coronavirus crisis), assault crossed all limits when the dead body of a doctor was assaulted. A mob assaulted Dead Body of a doctor with stones. Corona Warrior neurosurgeon of Chennai who died fighting Corona for the public of this country did not deserve this assault on his dead body.
On 1st May 2020, mob attacks doctors at Sagore Dutta Medical College Hospital after the death of a patient. Assaults on doctors continue despite the stringent Epidemic Diseases Act.
On 9th May 2020, in Darbhanga Bihar, an on-duty doctor was dragged off his chair and beaten by a police personnel in broad daylight while the doctor was treating patients. Allegedly he had asked the policeman to wear a mask.
On 10th May 2020, Ear of a doctor on duty mercilessly bitten off by patient attendant when the doctor asked the attendant not to enter labour room and maintain social distancing at a Medical College in Behrampur, Odisha.
On 16th May 2020, Dr Sudhakar was treated worse than an animal. He was publicly humiliated, thrashed half-naked on road, with hands tied at back by Andra Pradesh Police at Vizag. He was suspended earlier for raising voice against the shortage of PPEs for CovidWarriors.
On 30 July 2020, at Latur, Maharashtra, a doctor of a superspeciality hospital was repeatedly stabbed and attacked by the son of a COVID patient who passed away in the hospital.
On 7th August, at SMIMS , Gangtok, duty doctor verbally assaulted and threatned by father of a patient 25 week FEMALE gestation born with birth weight of 710 gram born on 06/08/2020. The baby’s father refused any treatment for the baby. When doctor on duty was explaining, the patient’s father got aggressive and assaulted the doctor by aggression and multiple unspeakable abuses and threatened dire consequences. Such matters go unreported usually.
On 7 Oct 2020, few hooligans abused , assaulted , threatened for life and outraged modesty of a female doctor on COVID duty at STNM hospital in Gangtok, Sikkim. Later the hooligans were arrested, the tendered unconditional public apology and the complaint by doctors was withdrawn.
On 13 Dec 2020, patient relatives abused, manhandled and assaulted doctors at Sikkim Manipal Medical College, Gangtok. This is supposedly the most peaceful state of India.
On 27th April 2021, DM arrested a doctor ( in charge of Covid Response team) and put him in jail because COVID cases were rising. Incidentally the doctor was made incharge only 2 days ago. This is blatant abuse of power. Administrative assault of doctor.
On 27th April 2021, patient relatives assaulted doctors at Apollo Hospital Delhi after not getting bed in ICU amid massive crisis of COVID surge in Delhi.
On 30th April, doctors and staff of Durgawati Hospital in Gorakhpur were brutally assaulted and hospital vandalised by patient relatives after death of Corona Positive patient.
On 8th May 2021, Lady doctor slapped by son after father dies of Severe COVID in Indapur near Pune in Maharashtra.
On 23rd April 2021, 20 Policemen assaulted a doctor with rods on not getting bed in Allahabad Medical College, amid corona crisis when there is lack of beds, medicines and oxygen. And the doctors are working day and night to save patients. But the people who are supposed to protect are the ones who blatantly abuse power.
On 24th May 2021, relatives of a COVID-19 patient assaulting a doctor in Ballari, KARNATAKA, INDIA had also surfaced.A man stormed into the COVID-19 ward of the VIMS Hospital and assaulted a woman doctor after arguing with her.
On 27th May 2021, 2 people assaulted doctor with bricks and then SHOT 2 bullets on the doctor in Lucknow. The doctor is battling for LIFE. Amir Choudhary and Muhammad Rashid shot the doctor after death of their brother whom the doctor was treating for COVID. The hatred for doctors in this country has reached great heights. This was a planned attempt to murder the doctor.
On 31st May 2021, a 50 year old child doctor in Karnataka, INDIA was so brutally assaulted that his scalp has been torn off. Seeing the sight, blood of any human would boil, let alone doctors. This was a well planned and premeditated attack on the doctor when the doctor was cycling back to home from hospital.
On 1st Jun 2021, a young doctor working for past one year at Covid Care Centre at Udali, Assam was brutally assaulted by patient relatives on death of patient. The video of the assault shows the gruesome and brutal way in which the doctor was assaulted by punches, kicks, dragged on the floor, hit with steel vessels on head. Video was so gruesome that Youtube removed it from its site. 24 Culprits have been arrested till 2nd Jun 2021. Dr Senapati has suffered severe Skull fracture.
On 2nd June 2021, One Police Constable of Pune Police and his brother slapped and assaulted doctors in PUNE, INDIA and other healthcare workers when they had to wait to know about their patient. Heights of intolerance in the country. Everyone is a VIP in this country and Doctor is a UNIVERSAL PUNCHING BAG.
On 7th Jun 2021, there was another brutal attack on Dr. Shiv Shankar Roy and other health care workers asaulted at Pandua Rural Hospital , Hooghly, West Bengal, INDIA after death of a critical patient despite all efforts. No action taken by the authorities for 3 days. Culprits caught only after relentless pressure by doctor organizations.
On 6th June 2021, family members vandalised an ICU in JNIMS , IMPHAL, MANIPUR, INDIA. After death of a critical patient, the patient relatives destroyed oxygen concentrator and ventilators of the ICU. If your relative was admitted there, would you allow such vandals to hamper care.
On 10th Jun 2021, doctors, including female doctors, were verbally assaulted with obscene language and threatened with dire consequences by patient attenders at SMIMS, Gangtok, SIKKIM. Thanks to Sikkim Administration and Police,Culprits were arrested
On 14th December 2021, a Sikkim based doctor was stabbed by a man in STNM Hospital ( largest government hospital of Sikkim) GANGTOK, Sikkim, INDIA in broad daylight. The man, Thinley Bhutia, had tried to stab a lady ward attendant. Dr Sanjay Upreti was trying to save her, when the criminal Thinley Bhutia stabbed him too. After fighting for his life in ICU for 10 days , under going 2 surgeries, multiple blood transfusions and amputation of his leg, the doctor left this world on 24/12/2021.As a mark of respect to the departed soul of Dr Sanjay Upreti who gave up his life to save another, the Sikkim government arranged the funeral with full State Honour which was attended by the Chief Minister Honourable P S Tamang, Government of Sikkim.The Sikkim government has set an example for other states to follow when a doctor is assaulted in the line of duty. But the incident has highlighted the age old problem of practically non existent and highly inadequate security measures in hospitals in India ,both government and private.
On 08th Feb 2022, a doctor was shot at Rao Tularam Hospital in New Delhi,India. The doctor was shot at the gate of the hospital and the assailants fled the spot. Doctor is undergoing treatment. The assailants are not caught.
On 12th April 2022, at SMIMS, Gangtok, Sikkim it happened with me. Being a child specialist working in a Medical College, we have a newborn patient admitted in our NICU( Neonatal Intensive care Unit). The patient is very sick, suffering from Resistant Sepsis ( infection of the blood) and under mechanical ventilation( breathing artificially). We have been telling the patient party that the condition is serious and antibiotics don’t seem to be working on thisbacteria that is super resistant. Chances of survival are very low. Any doctor would understand this. But trying to explain to the patient party and few others, and one of them gets aggressive. I feel threatened, because I fear for safety of doctors and nurses working in my department and for myself too. It is very strange that today I am less bothered about the whether the patient will survive or not; but whether we will survive after death of this patient. This is happening in Sikkim, a state with one of the lowest crime rates in the country. The patient finally got referred and all the doctors, nurses, security guards and ancillary workers heaved a sigh of relief.
On 29th Mar 2022, at Lalsot, Rajasthan, India two daughters of India were murdered in broad daylight , . A 22 year old girl who has 3 daughters was pregnant with a 4th baby and died during delivery. Do you think she died due to complications of pregnancy. No.. She died due to the pressure by family to keep producing babies till a boy is born. They don’t care if the mother dies in the process. The In-laws and husband of the girl murdered the poor girl for want of a boy. When the girl could not be saved, the family members conveniently blamed it on the doctor. Media ( Reporter Mahesh Bihari of Rajasthan Patrika, Lalsot) and a local goon ( Balya Joshi) kept the dead body in front of the hospital and pressurised the doctor using mob. They pressurised the police too.Against all the guidelines of Supreme Court, without any investigation, police registered a case under Section 302 ( attempt to murder). A doctor who has saved lives all her life, when could not save one - was labeled as Murderer by Patient Party and Police. She hanged herself. She committed suicide.This is plainly abetment of Suicide by Patient Relatives, Police , Media and the Local Goons. We lost a doctor. And this is plainly abetment of Suicide by Patient Relatives and Police. They should be booked. "I love my husband and my children. Please don't harass them after my death.""DON'T HARASS INNOCENT DOCTORS… "Please don't let my children feel the lack of a mother," reads her suicide note. It is the death of doctor within every doctor in this country. If we cannot speak today, we cannot speak ever. Feel her pain. Even in death she was more concerned about her children, her husband and other doctors in the country. Both these daughters of our country should get justice. One was killed by the Mentality of her In-Laws and the other was killed by the dirty politics of local goons and media nexus.
On 9th April 2022, Doctors working at the Howrah District hospital, Howrah West Bengal were brutally assaulted by patient party of patient known as Kartik Dey. The Assaulter Criminal Rohit Dey arrested. The doctor has sustained fractures and grievous injuries. FIR was lodged against the assaulters only after WBDF ( West Bengal Doctors Forum) intervened. Before that the police very conveniently registered a section 304A against the doctor.
On 26th April 2022 in Rewa , Madhya Pradesh - a high speed road accident victim was brought to hospital in critical condition. Upon death if patient , the relatives tried to burn the doctor alive by locking the room and putting the room on fire.
On 4th May 2022, at Manikpur PHC, Tripura , India a doctor was mercilessly beaten by mob after death of 2 siblings. The doctor has suffered severe head injuries and multiple other injuries and is currently undergoing treatment in Agartala. The two were brought in critical situation, doctor had asked them to take the kids to higher centre which they refused. Tests for Malaria later tested positive. But the cause of death was Doctor and not Malaria as per the patient party. Six criminals arrested for assaulting doctor in Manikpur PHC of Tripura. Harinath Tripura (18), Biswa Mohan Tripura (65), Nripendra Tripura (50), Chitta Kumar Tripura (37), Jyotida Tripura(35) and Jabirai Tripura (50).
On 12 May 2022, at Coochbehar, West Bengal , after death of a patient Farookh Rehman , relatives of Farookh Rehman assaulted doctor and other health care staff and vandalized the hospital.
On 18th May 2022, doctor at Kalawati Saran Children's Hospital in Delhi's Lady Hardinge Medical College (LHMC) in New Delhi, INDIA on Wednesday, 18 May. Even a female doctor was assaulted.
On 18 Jun 2022, at Mungeli, Chattisgarh , India , Dr Dinesh Sahu was brutally thrashed, slapped and beaten by group of people at Community Health Centre Lormi at the Mungeli district of Chhattisgarh on 18/06/2022. No one is arrested till now.
On 27th Jun 2022, at Rasulabad, Kanpur Dehat, Uttar Pradesh,a so called journalist walked into the hospital ( SSG Healthcare Specialised) with loaded gun in daytime with a accomplice, created ruckus in the OPD , abused male and female staff and pulled the gun on staff and doctor. In the chaos that issued, the gun fell down, he ran away and the gun has been taken by the police. The doctor has filed FIR against the accused. The accused journalist is threatening the doctor that he will file complaint under SC ST act that the doctor said something to him about his caste. He is also asking Rs 5 lakhs ( five lakhs) to settle the matter. This was another Dr Archana Sharma in making. The pressure and extortion technique is becoming rampant.
On 21st August 2022, Aizwal Meghalaya, Meghalaya Chief Minister’s daughter hit a doctor. You must have seen the video. His “crime” was that he asked her to take an appointment prior to her visit to his clinic. Chief Minister Zoramthanga issued a public apology. But this shows a deep rooted mentality in India - Nothing will happen to you if you assault a doctor. This incident proved it further.
At GMC Yavatmal on 5th January 2023, during the evening rounds, a patient stabbed a General Surgery Resident doctor with a knife on the neck. Two surgery resident doctors are injured, out of which one is severely injured and critical.
The problem is not the absence of law, problem is non-implementation of the law.
"If doctors have the moral duty to treat patients, the public has the moral duty to be humans, not animals. The police has the duty to save the doctors. The politicians have the duty to make laws to save the doctors. The District Magistrate has the moral duty to maintain law and order in his jurisdiction. Why only Doctor is bound by his moral duty and no one else? A doctor's Moral duty to patients and his pledge will hold only if others do their duty.""
WHAT IS MOST DISHEARTENING IS THAT WITH SUCH GRUESOME AND BARBARIC ASSAULTS ON DOCTORS, THERE IS NO OUTRAGE BY MEDIA, ACTORS, SOCIALITES, SO CALLED INTELLECTUALS, HUMAN RIGHT ACTIVISTS, POLITICIANS AND SOCIAL ORGANISATIONS.
*** If you are a human, you will Sign this petition. ***
*** If you are a human, you will do all in your power to condemn the attacks. ***
It has crossed all limits. STOP CALLING US COVID WARRIORS.... AT LEAST CONSIDER US HUMANS.
"No state is left where violence on doctors is not seen. "
And now the people are getting bolder and targetting the family members of doctors too. Wife of a doctor was murdered in cold blood in Indore.
This fear has created terror in the minds of doctors. It is becoming impossible for doctors to work under so much fear. People who attack doctors should be called "Terrorist-like" because they are creating a terror in the minds of doctor against good work. They are disrupting peace and harmony of the nation. It is increasing the economic burden on the Indian society, thus threatening economic security of the nation. Stringent laws should be made to save the doctor from these unruly elements doing terrorist-like-activities and punishment must be given as that given to a terrorist.
“Doctors can guarantee best treatment, but doctors cannot guarantee 100% results."
To become a doctor is not easy. Doctor has to sacrifice his sleep – the time he/she spends caring for patients he barely knows; to sacrifice his/her youth – the time spend with books; sacrifice his family – the time spend away from home for education. But a doctor lives like an ordinary citizen.He does not demand subsidized groceries. He pays his electricity bills and phone bills. He buys all services at market rates.
There is only one thing that a doctor demands. And that is my humble request to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi
"SAVE THE DOCTOR… GIVE JUSTICE TO EVERY DOCTOR WHO HAS BEEN ASSAULTED.... AND THE DOCTOR WILL SAVE MANY MORE LIVES FOR THIS NATION"
Yours truly
Dr. Sumit Periwal
