MALKANGIRI : Malkangiri police on Thursday arrested six persons on charges of assaulting a doctor at the district headquarters hospital (DHH) even as the Odisha Medical Services Association (OMSA) warned of intensifying protest if adequate security was not ensured for healthcare workers.
The accused, all residents of MV-43, had reportedly assaulted Dr Sidhant Adarsh (30) on the DHH premises after the death of a pregnant woman during treatment for a suspected snakebite on Wednesday.
Police said based on the complaint of Dr Sidhant, a case was registered and investigation launched. Acting on the basis of evidence and eyewitness accounts, the accused were arrested and produced in court. Efforts are on to identify other persons involved in the attack and nab them.Further investigation is underway, said a police officer.
Meanwhile, doctors of the DHH and members of OMSA wore black badges and staged a silent protest, condemning the assault on Dr Sidhant. Expressing deep anguish over the incident, the doctors said repeated attacks on medical professionals have created an atmosphere of fear and insecurity, affecting the delivery of healthcare services.
They said no physician wishes harm to a patient and every effort is made to save lives. Grievances over treatment should be addressed through legal and administrative channels and not through violence.“Taking the law into one’s own hands and physically assaulting a doctor inside a hospital sends a dangerous message to society,” said the agitating doctors.
They, however, clarified that patient care was not affected during the symbolic protest, and all emergency and routine services continued uninterrupted on the day.
Demanding immediate arrest of all the assailants and enhanced security measures to ensure the safety of healthcare professionals on duty, the OMSA members warned that if the administration failed to take stringent legal action, they would intensify the agitation across Odisha.