Patient’s kin ‘manhandle’ doc in Barnala, protests erupt, FIR filed

An on-duty medical officer posted at the district hospital in Barnala was allegedly manhandled by attendants accompanying the patient

An on-duty medical officer posted at the district hospital in Barnala was allegedly manhandled by attendants accompanying the patient on Monday night.

An on-duty medical officer posted at the district hospital in Barnala was allegedly manhandled by attendants accompanying the patient on Monday night. (Representational Image/ HT File)

As per the complainant, Dr Gagandeep Singh, 29, the three accused, Rohit Jindal, his father Nabh Chand and another unidentified man, reportedly came to the hospital with the patient, Jindal’s wife at around 10.25pm. The complainant, who was the on-duty doctor, asked them to get the patient’s CT test done from the in-house private lab. The accused, however, insisted that the doctor himself carry out the tests. Dr Gagandeep Singh agreed to accompany them, but on the way to the lab, the accused started hurling abuses and even “manhandled” him. The support staff present had to intervene to “rescue” the doctor.

A case was registered against three people under Sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt),186 (voluntarily obstruct a public servant in the discharge of his public functions), 353 (whoever assaults or uses criminal force to any person being a public servant in the execution of his duty), 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code and section 4 of The Punjab Protection of Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Services Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage to Property).

Notably, the bill was passed in September 2008 by the Punjab government to deter violence against medical staff.

OPD suspended, docs demand arrest

Following the incident, doctors suspended OPD (out-patient department) services on Tuesday and staged a sit-in protest on the hospital premises. In a statement, the Punjab Civil Medical Services Association (PCMSA), Barnala, said that the OPD services at DH Barnala would remain suspended until the culprits were arrested.

PCMSA state senior vice-president Dr Kanwaljit Bajwa said, “This incident sheds light on the challenging working conditions faced by the medical professionals and underscores the need for increased security arrangements at the public healthcare facilities in the state. The PCMSA expects a swift resolution to this pressing issue so as to provide seamless, uninterrupted services to the community.”