SAMBALPUR: An on-duty doctor suffered grievous injuries after being allegedly assaulted by a man inside Bargarh community health centre (CHC) in the small hours of Monday.
Police said the incident occurred at around 2 am when some persons brought a child with sickle cell disease experiencing chest pain to the hospital. Attending doctor and medicine specialist Dr Sudipta Rout administered emergency medication before directing the child to the ward for further treatment by the nursing staff.
Shortly afterwards, one of the accompanying men, identified as Gurmeet Singh, allegedly returned and asked the doctor to check his blood pressure. Rout advised the man to wait for about 10 minutes as he was sweating and an immediate reading would not be accurate. The request reportedly enraged Singh.
The accused allegedly lifted a wooden stool and hit the doctor on the head. He also reportedly overturned Dr Rout’s table and tried to assault him. The doctor sustained a deep head wound and injuries to his forehead and hand. The entire incident was reportedly captured on the hospital’s CCTV camera.
“I had just finished treating the child and sent him to the ward. When the man asked me to check his blood pressure, I requested him to sit for a while. But he attacked me with a stool without any provocation. He might have been under the influence, considering his aggressive behaviour,” alleged Dr Rout.
Medical officer of Bargarh CHC Dr SP Naik said, “Following the incident, we lodged a complaint with the police. Dr Rout is stable now. However, it is unfortunate an on-duty doctor was assaulted on the hospital premises.”
Bargarh SP RN Satapathy said on being informed, the Town SDPO and IIC rushed to the CHC and received the complaint. The accused was subsequently arrested and produced in court. Investigation is underway to ascertain whether the accused was under the influence of alcohol and if he has any history of similar offences.
“Security has been intensified on the hospital premises with round-the-clock deployment of police personnel. We will maintain strict vigil to ensure that such incidents are not repeated,” the SP added.