PUDUCHERRY: A resident doctor at the Indira Gandhi Government General Hospital and Post Graduate Institute (IGGGHPGI) in Puducherry suffered severe neck injury after he was slashed with a knife by the father of a patient under the influence of alcohol late on Monday.
Dr Naveen Kumar (31) of Tirupattur in Tamil Nadu, a postgraduate student in Ophthalmology, was doing three months of District Residency Program (DRP) at the IGGGHPGI. According to sources, the doctor suffered a deep neck laceration requiring 18 sutures and incurred a marginal mandibular nerve injury. Since the cut was just two inches above the carotid artery, Naveen escaped from a potential fatal injury, hospital authorities said. The doctor was standing near the casualty entrance waiting for food delivery when he suffered the unprovoked attack, sources said.
Police said the assailant, Vinoth Kumar (39), father of a patient being treated for two-wheeler accident, was allegedly in an inebriated condition at the time of the attack. Kumar, an autorickshaw driver from Boomianpet, Puducherry, was creating ruckus in the hospital after his son and two other boys aged between 12 and 14 were admitted to the hospital following head and other injuries sustained in a two-wheeler accident on Monday. While one of the three boys dies of injuries, the other two were being treated at the trauma care unit of the hospital. Kumar was repeatedly causing trouble to the hospital staff by entering the ward and disturbing treatment.
Around 8.30 pm, he went to the casualty gate and assaulted Naveen. Immediately after the attack, duty doctors of the Puducherry GH went on a strike, demanding security for healthcare workers. Various medical associations, including the Pondicherry Government Medical Officer Association and the Indian Medical Association, rallied in support. Lok Sabha member V Vaithilingam and MLA G Nehru too intervened.
Following Kumar’s arrest under Sections 324 and 506(ii) of IPC and assurances were made to bolster security for hospital staff, the strike was withdrawn. Medical officers of Villianur PHC and Yanam GH, however, continued their protests demanding enhanced security.
The assault on Dr Naveen underscores broader concerns regarding the need for better security for healthcare workers and the challenges in regulating patients’ attendants on hospital premises. Director of Health Dr. G Sriramulu told TNIE that on Sunday, three people entered the hospital and abused women and staff under the influence of some substance. They had to be sedated and then discharged the next day. Big groups of patients’ relatives enter hospitals along with patients. Recently around 50 persons came along with a patient, he said.
After discussions between health officials, police authorities, and medical representatives steps to enhance security, including deployment of armed police personnel on hospital premises, is under consideration. Plan to restrict the entry of attendants is also being considered to ensure the safety and well-being of medical personnel, Dr Sriramulu said.