Kolkata: Junior doctors and nurses continued their ‘stop work’ protest on Saturday against the attack on the staff by the family members of a patient at the government Sagar Dutta Hospital in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.
Junior doctors and nurses had started a ‘stop work’ protest late on Friday night against the alleged beating of staff by the family members of a patient after his death at a hospital in Kamarhati near Kolkata.
A junior doctor said that three junior doctors, three nurses and health workers were injured in the incident. After the accident, junior doctors and nurses called for a ‘stop work’ protest demanding better safety arrangements.
He told that the patient was a middle-aged woman. He had serious breathing problems and his condition was also critical. The nurse said, “The patient was admitted to the hospital on Friday due to difficulty in breathing. His condition was not good and the health workers tried to give him oxygen but by then it was too late and he died.
He told that despite the police being present here, 15-20 family members of the patient entered the women’s ward (medicine) and attacked the doctors and many nurses who were treating other patients there.
The junior doctor said, “We have been continuously demanding proper security in the out-patient department (OPD) and hospital wards, but this incident has once again proved that the state administration is still not responsive to our security demands.” Not awake. The ‘work off’ protest will continue until our demands for adequate security are met.”
A senior officer of Barrackpore Police Commissionerate said that the hospital administration has lodged a complaint about the incident at Kamarhati police station and investigation is underway. He said that after this incident, security has been increased in the hospital premises and police patrolling team is keeping vigil at the main gate of the hospital.
Aniket Mahato, member of ‘West Bengal Junior Doctors Forum’, said, we had earlier also expressed concern about security. Unless the government takes active steps, such incidents will continue to happen.