Assault on doctor at SMHS Hospital sparks protests, strike

Srinagar, Jul 23: A reminiscent of many similar incidents at SMHS Hospital and across hospitals of J&K, a doctor was assaulted by a patient’s attendant at Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) Hospital Srinagar in the intervening night of 22 and 23 July triggering widespread protests and subsequent strike by resident doctors. The incident that has been captured on CCTV of the hospital occurred in the hospital’s emergency ward, reportedly after a patient’s death.

Resident doctors' strike started on Wednesday, creating chaos and panic in SMHS hospital. The emergency area of the hospital was “locked up” by the doctors, “disallowing the entry of patients who needed immediate attention”. Many videos, widely circulated over social media, showed patients in distress due to the strike. Emotionally charged scenes, both among patients and resident doctors were witnessed many times in the day.

The doctors demanded “justice” in the case of a doctor who had been assaulted while he was on duty in the emergency at the hospital. The protestors who were resident doctors, interns, and other hospital staff sought immediate action against the person who assaulted their colleague and enhanced security measures for medical professionals.

Meanwhile, the strike created a crisis situation as the resident doctor form the backbone of hospital operations. Patients said they were unable to access treatment, diagnosis and other services.

The GMC administration condemned the attack and said it was on the “mission to safeguard doctors”. Spokesperson and Administrator of the Medical College, Mohammad Ashraf Hakak told Greater Kashmir that an FIR had already been registered and the person who attacked the doctor had been arrested. “The investigation is underway,” he said. He said the administration was talking to the doctors to call off the strike. “Junior residents are on strike and we are talking to them. We are hopeful it will be resolved soon,” he said.

Later in the night, the strike was called off, the Spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, many netizens expressed anger over the “collective punishment” the doctors meted out to the patients. Many posts reminded doctors of their responsibility to save lives.

The CSFK (Health) issued a condemnation about the incident. “Doctors and health care workers dedicate their lives to serving society. The act is grave violation of sanctity of health care institutions and must be met with strict legal action,” a press statement by the organization read. The CSFK called for “protective mechanism in hospitals and ensure the safety and dignity of Health care workers”.

This assault comes on the heels of a similar incident at Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu earlier this month. A female junior doctor had been physically assaulted by relatives of a deceased patient. The attack which was also captured on CCTV, showed a woman violently kicking the doctor-on-duty in the abdomen. This had triggered a strike, which continued for many days. The J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had condemned the incident and called for strict action against the culprits. He stressed that doctors must work free from fear and intimidation.