In the thick of protests against the death of a postgraduate student of R G Kar Medical College, two female physicians from two different hospitals in East Burdwan today brought charges of receiving intimidation from a drunken civic police volunteer and the son of a cardiac patient.
The district police responded to the charges immediately and booked the civic volunteer in one incident and also the kin of the deceased patient in another incident.
A heavily drunk Susanta Roy, the civic volunteer was taken to the Bhatar State General Hospital following complaints of dizziness and abdominal discomfort. An on-duty lady physician attended him. In her complaint with the Bhatar PS, the physician stated: “I prescribed him primary management but suddenly he started misbehaving and arguing regarding treatment. He threatened me by mentioning the R G Kar Medical College and Hospital incident.”
She later said, “I’m very much devastated and worried with this verbal threat in the hospital premises while on duty.”
The physicians, nurses of the hospital pressed a panic button and staged a demonstration today alleging dearth of security at the workplace. The police meanwhile arrested Roy, the accused.
At the Burdwan Medical College and Hospital, one lady postgraduate trainee complained that the son of a lady patient, while pulling down the body of the deceased, had ‘intentionally’ tried to make a physical contact with her. After she lodged a complaint, the police primarily booked Nuruddin Mondal and his father-in-law Lalon Sheikh. Nuruddin, the son of the snake bite victim Farsina Mondal, the lady physician complained: “Was making objectionable advances towards me although he’d ample space to remove his father’s body from the bed.”
The PGT first lodged a complaint with the hospital superintendent and as suggested by the superintendent, the police booked Nuruddin and Lalon. The SP, East Burdwan, Amandeep Singh later said that the two were booked initially based on the hospital superintendent’s versions.
The BMCH and the Bankura Sammilani Medical College and Hospital have issued advisories to the patient parties and the security staff of the hospitals in the wake of the R G Kar hospital incident. Dr Panchanan Kundu, medical superintendent, BSMCH, said, “We’ve started arranging special restrooms for the lady physicians by shifting the server room from its current location. Besides, we’ve suggested installation of at least 40 new CC cameras in the hospital as a precautionary measure.”