Jamshedpur: A day after a city-based surgeon was thrashed by relatives of his patient over alleged negligence, the Jamshedpur chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) condemned the incident and called for an end to mob justice culture.
On Tuesday, Dr. Bimarjit Pradhan was attacked by a mob at his nursing home in Sakchi after a patient, who underwent tonsil removal surgery, started bleeding and was admitted to Tata Main Hospital (TMH). Pradhan was rescued by police personnel. An FIR was registered at Sakchi police station.
IMA Demands Action
City-based orthopedic surgeon Dr. Saurabh Chaudhary, general secretary of IMA, said a delegation met East Singhbhum SSP Piyush Pandey and demanded immediate arrest of the assaulters. “The doctors will launch an agitation in coming days if the culprits are not put behind bars,” he said on Wednesday. Chaudhary also claimed that CCTV footage from Pradhan’s nursing home revealed that two political functionaries had provoked the mob to assault the doctor.
Doctors' Safety Concerns
Chaudhary said doctors will hold meetings with various sections of society to ensure they are not targeted in the future. “In the coming days, if doctors, for their own safety, refuse to attend complicated medical cases, the patients will suffer,” he added.
Dr. Pradhan claimed that the patient and his relatives were informed about the complications of the surgery prior to the procedure. “They had even signed the consent form. Post surgery, there was bleeding, following which the patient was referred to TMH, where he is recovering. On Tuesday, a group of people barged into my chamber and demanded that I pay a bill of around Rs 1 lakh from TMH, as due to my incompetence, the patient had to be shifted. Before I could react, the mob beat me and tore my shirt,” he said.
