HYDERABAD: More than 100 doctors boycotted their duties at the Government Chest Hospital a day after a resident doctor was assaulted by relatives of a patient.
Though emergency services remained operational, regular patients experienced delays and many had to return home after waiting for a few hours.
The doctors called off their protest after an institutional FIR was lodged in the case and promises were made to book the culprits. They also demanded tight security and an end to VIP culture.
A junior doctor was assaulted on Sunday by the attenders of a patient, who was recommended by the hospital superintendent, claimed the doctors.
Angry protests rocked Government Chest Hospital in the city on Monday with over 100 doctors boycotting duties a day after a resident doctor was assaulted by relatives of a patient. The doctors later called off their protest after an institutional FIR was lodged in the case and promises made to book the culprits.
Junior doctor Krishnan N was hit on the face, chest and stomach on Sunday and has complained of pain. Angry over the assault of their colleague, dozens of doctors began a strike, leaving patients in the lurch. Though the emergency services remained operational, regular patients experienced a lot of delays and many had to return home after waiting for a few hours. “I had come for a follow-up of my father’s post Covid-19 issues. He has been suffering from breathing problems on and off. Only after we came here and waited for two hours did we get to know that there is a long queue and doctors are on protest,” said Rifat Bi, who had come from Mehdipatnam.
Another patient waiting in the queue, Radhikamma, who had come from Uppal, said, “The people who hit the doctors should be punished. They have ruined the relationship between patients and doctors. Today, doctors are not ready to see us. Where will we go?”
The protesting doctors raised slogans with placards saying ‘we treat patients equally’, ‘zero tolerance against violence’ and ‘we treat-…save the saviour’, while the senior doctors managed outpatient services with less than half the strength. The hospital has nearly 200 doctors in total of which over 100 had joined the protests and with just 50 doctors left for a shift, regular services were affected throughout the day.
Although a regular FIR was filed on Sunday, the doctors had demanded that an institutional FIR be lodged by the hospital so that stern punishment is handed out to the accused. “We demand that an institutional FIR be filed. The seven attendants who had assaulted the doctor yesterday were of a patient recommended by the superintendent,” said Dr Naresh, a representative of Telangana Junior Doctors Association (TJUDA), Chest Hospital.
The doctors also demanded tight security at the hospital and an end to VIP culture.