Guwahati: Barely a month after the death of a doctor at a tea garden hospital in upper Assam’s Jorhat district, another instance of attack on a doctor serving at a government hospital in Goalpara district has come to the fore.
On Wednesday night, a mob assaulted an on-duty doctor, Apurba Boro, at the Dudhnoi civil hospital after he declared a person ‘brought dead’. The deceased man was one of the three road accident victims brought to the hospital by police late last night.
Family members of one Bikash Rabha, who did not survive an accident at Nayapara village in Goalpara, allegedly manhandled the doctor. They refused to acknowledge his death and entered into an altercation with the hospital authorities.
“I checked the patient and found him dead on arrival, but they were not ready to accept this. Some of them started pushing and shoving me, while others started breaking hospital property. We were rescued by police,” Dr Boro said. A fellow doctor who had also attended the patient said given the mood of the mob, he could gauge the situation might turn worse.
The Assam Medical Service Association (AMSA) condemned the incident and lodged an FIR with the local police. An investigation is underway. “This is bad for society. There should be a campaign against such attacks,” said AMSA president Paresh Kalita.
In August, a 73-year-old doctor, Deben Dutta, was brutally attacked by a mob following the death of a worker at a tea estate hospital. Several arrests were made over the incident.
Later, at least seven doctors employed in various tea estates of Assam had resigned citing insecurity. Last night’s incident has once again exposed the communication gap between physicians and patients and their family members.
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