MAJULI: Tension flared late last night, September 22, at Shri Shri Pitambar Dev Goswami Civil Hospital in Gormur, Majuli, after the death of a 74-year-old cancer patient. This is said to have triggered a fight between the relatives and the hospital staff.
Digen Halder was admitted to the hospital in a critically ill condition. The child's death was pronounced despite the treatment, after which his relatives reacted with anger.
One of the ICU technicians present at that time of the accident testifies to the efforts made by the medical team to stabilize the critically ill patient.
The technician reported that the patient was admitted in a very severe state and unfortunately died at a point where they were trying to connect a cannula for saline infusion. When the technician tried to do an ECG test, relatives turned hostile with punches, sandals, and even hitting him with his mobile phone.
The mayhem increased when the crowd dragged the patient from the ICU to the Emergency unit.
In brutality, the violence stunned the medical staff of the hospital. Many doctors and nurses felt they were not safe. A nurse explained how distraught she was due to a lack of understanding by the patient's family. They did not allow the medical team an opportunity to explain the fact that the patient had died.
She further said that the in-house doctor responded immediately after hearing the news regarding the situation. However, relatives were hostile.
They chased the employees and atrociously assaulted two nurses. The nurse argued that although they are medical professionals, they are also humans and must have security; she believed no medical practitioner should be treated this way.
The outcome of the above was seen in the form of vandalism-the relatives of the patient damaged the equipment of the ICU, which again distressed people like her. An on-duty resident doctor reported that the patient with cancer was in extremely critical condition and also suffered from diarrhea.
The patient is shifted to the ICU after primary treatment in the emergency ward. The patient dies when the nurses are trying to insert a cannula.
The doctor said that the relatives, having no sense of the gravity of the situation attacked the staff. The following activities of the crowd have hindered medical services and hassled other patients as well.
Local police reacted fast to the violence and developed a large police team to handle the situation. Part of the violence was when three relatives of the patient were detained for their role in the attack on the hospital staff.
This incident throws light clearly on the deep concerns regarding the safety of medical professionals as with the days passing healthcare practitioners are subjected to dangerous attacks on duties during emotionally heightened situations.
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