NIMS PG Doctor Gets Death Threat; RDA Boycotts Duties
The incident occurred when junior resident Dr K. Srikanth of the Emergency Medicine department was attending to patients at the Triage and ICUs on the first floor
Hyderabad: Resident doctors and Postgraduates at Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) on Thursday began boycotting duties, except emergency services, after a postgraduate was allegedly threatened with death by attendants of a patient while on duty.
The incident occurred when junior resident Dr K. Srikanth of the Emergency Medicine department was attending to patients at the Triage and ICUs on the first floor. According to the Resident Doctors’ Association (RDA), the attendants allegedly threatened to kill and assault him after he asked them to wait for a few minutes while he attended another case.
The patient, aged around 60, had been admitted to the emergency department with bleeding in the brain and was receiving treatment, RDA spokesperson Dr M Raju told Deccan Chronicle. A neurology consultation and CT head were advised. The patient was also advised Foley catheterisation.
“Several emergency patients were waiting, so the PG doctor moved to attend to another patient while the equipment required for catheterisation was being arranged. By the time it was brought, the patient had passed urine. The attendants then confronted the doctor and questioned when doctors were being paid from public money, why are they not treating,” Dr Raju said.
Security personnel and the duty RMO reached the spot, while other resident doctors also gathered after being alerted. The attendants subsequently left the area, Dr Raju said. Dr Srikanth submitted a written complaint to the RMO following the incident.
Dr Raju said this was the second incident in the last three weeks at NIMS. “A senior resident doctor was allegedly attacked a few weeks ago and now a postgraduate resident doctor has been threatened. The FIR in the earlier case is yet to be registered,” he said.
He said the RDA had decided to boycott duties, except emergency services, over the incidents and the delay in police action. “The hospital management initially told us that the police complaint had to be filed by the individual doctor and not by the hospital. After we sat on protest, the complaint and FIR were filed from the management side,” he said.
The RDA has demanded immediate registration of an FIR in the earlier incident also, preservation of CCTV footage, identification of those involved and stronger security arrangements in the emergency, Triage and other duty areas.
Dr Raju said the resident doctors would withdraw the boycott once the NIMS Director provides a timeline for training and strengthening security personnel.
