Lawyers Protest against PMCH Junior Doctors' Brutality
Patna: June 2, 2008
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Lawyers Protest against PMCH Junior Doctors' Brutality
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Photo by Anupam Singh |
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Hundreds of lawyers in Patna on Monday took to the street to protest the death of Nilima Bharti, the daughter of S. K. Mallick, allegedly due to negligence by the junior doctors of the Patna Medical College Hospital (PMCH) on Sunday who also went on an indefinite strike – surprise, surprise – while putting the entire blame on the victim's family.
As reported, nine year old Nilima was brought to the PMCH on Sunday for complications in breathing. During the treatment, Nilima died but when the family members demanded a report on the cause of her death, the doctors became agitated and assaulted them causing injuries to some of them.
A case against the doctors was filed by Mr. Mallick who demanded immediate removal of all the junior doctors involved in the incident and an autopsy on the girl's body to determine the cause of her death.
Outside the hospital, the lawyers blocked the road with the body of Nilima and chanted anti-doctors slogans seeking justice in the case.
"These doctors are murderers and criminals who have a long history of assaulting the patients and their care-takers. They think that they are above the law and no one had the right to question their judgment or ability," a senior advocate said.
After a chaos of more than five hours, the administration was able to persuade the crowd to back out and let the law take its course.
Meanwhile, functioning at the PMCH came to a near halt causing much inconvenience and pain to hundreds of ailing patients who, in the lack of any medical care, started to make arrangements to move to other health facilities in the city.
Sources at the hospital on the condition of anonymity squarely put the blame for the tragic death of Nilima on the junior doctors saying it were they who first assaulted the family members after they accused them of negligence.
Later, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar weighed in his opinion on the incident saying it was wrong for the junior doctors to go on strike at the drop of a hat.
"Their job is to treat the patients and they should only be concerned with that," Kumar said while directing the authorities to investigate the case.
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