Medical students stage protest against assault on interning doctors

Medical students studying at Raichur Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) staged a protest in front of the college here on Saturday condemning the assault on two interning doctors on duty on Friday night by the relatives of a deceased patient and demanded that the accused should be arrested.

According to the sources, Narasimhalu (50) was admitted in the orthopaedic ward of the RIMS with a complaint of stomach pain three days ago. After his health check-up by a surgeon, he was shifted to a surgery ward as the patient required surgery. His health condition deteriorated as he was admitted in the orthopaedic ward despite suffering from a stomach ache. As soon as his condition worsened, his relatives rushed to the ward where the patient was being treated.

Though the patient breathed his last on Friday night, the interning doctors made a futile bid to restore his heartbeat by pressing his heart. The relatives who were present there tried to assault the doctors alleging that they killed Narasimhalu.

A junior doctor said the angry people kicked his friend on night duty on his back and stomach and another doctor escaped the assault.

A police officer attached to Market Yard Police Station said the daughter of the deceased alleged that the doctors did not attend to his father even though his condition started worsening.

"We will come to know whether the deceased's relatives assaulted the duty doctors or not after examining the CCTV footage of the hospital. After a compromise between the doctor fraternity and the relatives of the patients in the presence of the deputy superintendent of police, the body was taken for last rites," he explained. No complaint was lodged at Market Yard Police Station till the evening.

Refuting the allegation of assault on the doctors, RIMS Director Basavaraj Peerapur said a quarrel has taken place between the interning doctors and the relatives of the deceased patient. "We have lodged a complaint at the police station in this connection. Security will be beefed up at the RIMS to avoid such incidents in the future," he told.