Doctor of govt. hospital in Tripura beaten up after pregnant woman’s death

Agartala, April 12 (PTI): A doctor of a government hospital here was beaten up by family members of a patient after she died in the hospital’s labour room in the early hours of Friday, police said.

Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb said stern action will be taken against the persons who attacked the doctor.

The 25-year-old pregnant woman was admitted to the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital, a government hospital, around 1.20 am and she died of cardiac arrest around 2 am on Friday, the police said.

Alleging medical negligence, the patient’s family then attacked and seriously injured the doctor.

The doctor, a gynaecologist, was admitted to G B Hospital with serious injuries, a police officer said, adding, the doctor has been kept at the trauma care centre of the hospital.

“The condition of the injured doctor was improving,” the Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Dr Kinshuk Datta, said,

Addressing a press conference at his residence, Deb, who is also the home minister of the state, said, Dipankar Debnath, a gynaecologist was attacked by a group of people after one patient died in a hospital’s labour room on Thursday late night.

Security has been enhanced in two government hospitals following the brutal attack on the gynaecologist, the chief minister said.

“They severely beat up the doctor in the wee hours, dragged him out of the hospital and even tried to kill him,” Deb said.

“This attack was inhuman and barbaric, and we cannot keep mum if anybody tries to take the law in his hand. The police has been asked to take stern action,” the chief minister said.

Five persons were arrested in this connection with the incident and produced before the court. But they managed to get interim bail, the chief minister said.

“In spite of being granted interim bail, they are still in jail because they could not produce bail bonds. I cannot comment on the judiciary, but the police will investigate the case seriously and take steps to get them punished,” Deb said.

Police pickets were set up in two major hospitals of the city, G B Pant Hospital and Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital, the chief minister said.

The chief minister also appealed to the doctors not close their chambers or out patient departments (OPD) at the hospitals.

All Tripura Government Doctors Association (ATGDA) and the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Tripura Chapter, in a joint statement on Friday announced that the doctors would close their chambers and refrain from voluntary services such as blood donation and health camps, and threatened to tender mass resignation unless their demands were conceded within a week.

They demanded arrest of culprits, trial in first-track court for speedy disposal of the case, setting up of police pickets and installation of CCTV cameras in all government hospitals, and arrest of all culprits involved in the incidents of attack on doctors in last one year.

“The doctors are working in the service sector and working hard to keep people well. When the government assures to punish the guilty and enhance security for them, they should normalise the situation,” the chief minister said.

Expressing concern at the repeated incidents of attacks on government doctors, Deb said, another doctor Dipak Mitra, posted at Sabroom Government Hospital, was attacked by relatives of a patient on April 1 and all the accused were arrested.