Female Doctor in Mumbai Physically Assaulted by Intoxicated Patient and 7 to 8 Relatives While Receiving Treatment

Reports suggest that a female resident doctor at Sion Hospital (Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital), Mumbai, was allegedly assaulted by an intoxicated patient and his family during the early hours of Sunday. Fellow doctors question the lack of security.

While the nation is still mourning and raging over the brutal rape and murder of a 31-year-old, female trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, the incident at the Sion Hospital comes off as shocking amidst the nationwide protest for justice for the deceased trainee doctor. 

Violence at Sion Hospital

Resident doctors at the hospital claimed that the attack against the female doctor took place while she was on duty in the ward. The incident occured around 3:30 A.M., according to reports. 

A colleague of the victim and the General Secretary of Sion-MARD (Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors) and BMC-MARD, Dr Akshay More, spoke to Times Now explaining the timeline of the incident. According to the doctor, the patient entered the hospital between midnight and 1 A.M. with deep wounds on his face. He was referred for an on-call ENT reference and “at around 3:30 A.M., he went for the on-call reference.” He continues to explain that while the victim was dressing the accused’s wounds, “the patient and his relatives started abusing her”. 

Another colleague, and eyewitness, stated that the female doctor was doing a 48-hour emergency service and the patient, who was under the influence of alcohol, was accompanied by “seven to eight relatives of his, out of which, some of them were drunk.” He goes on to state that while the relatives were “accusing and abusing” the first-year female resident doctor, a female relative of the patient used the blood-soaked gauze pieces and “applied it on her face”. The act is not only considered inhumane but is also extremely dangerous as it could lead to a possible infection for the victim. They, then, proceeded to scratch and mishandle her. 

The victim also sustained injuries while attempting to defend herself from the intoxicated patient and his family. Reports state that the accusers fled the scene after the assault.  

Demands for Safety

“This shows the questionable security which we are receiving at the government hospital right now”, stated Dr Akshay More when asked about the horrifying assault. He also stated that this was not the first time such an attack happened at the Sion Hospital and that such incidents “have been happening for the past two years.”

The other colleague strongly stated that such an incident should not have happened at the hospital’s ward, a place where they should have been provided with security. He also proceeded to explain that there should be strict rules on how many attendees can accompany the patient when they are receiving treatment indicating that a lot of the harm caused could have either been prevented or reduced if it weren’t for the comparatively large number of relatives that assisted with the assault. 

BMC-MARD, in a statement, said, “This alarming incident highlights a significant security failure. Our doctor’s safety is non-negotiable. This situation requires immediate attention and implementation of strict security measures in all hospitals.” However, there has been no statement issued by the Sion Hospital, Mumbai.