Beaten up junior doctors cite security issues

Kolkata: Junior doctors from the NRS Medical College and Hospital who were beaten up by family members of a patient held meeting with the senior officials of the hospital discussing security issues.

The doctors urged the hospital authorities to put in place adequate security arrangements so that the incidents of assault on the doctors can be checked. In Tuesday's meeting, interns stated their demands to Principal and Medical Superintendent of the NRS Medical College and Hospital. Senior police officers were also present in the meeting. The doctors also submitted a memorandum to the hospital authorities.

The junior doctors said that those who were earlier arrested on the charges of beating up doctors were later released on bail. They urged the police to see if there is an incident of atrocities on doctors and the accused must be booked under non-bailable charges so that they do not get bails. The doctors have placed their demands before the senior officials of the hospital urging them to take steps in this regard.

They also urged the hospital authorities to increase the number of security personnel inside the hospital campus especially during the night. In most of the incidents, it has been found that the junior doctor get heckled during night. Overall security of the doctors at the hospital must be looked into, the doctors demanded.

The senior officials of the hospital told that junior doctors that they would discuss their demands with the Health department officials at the Swastho Bhavan. The junior doctors, however, said that they would organise a bigger movement if their demands were not met within 48 hours.

Around 10 junior doctors were injured, some of them critically, when a mob attacked them on Monday morning following the death of a 17-year-old boy who died of alleged medical negligence. The junior doctors staged demonstration resulting in the disruption of services in the emergency.