A female resident doctor was allegedly brutally assaulted by the family of a patient after the death of a newborn baby. The incident occurred at Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar (BSA) Hospital in Rohini group of Delhi. A group of four to five women relatives of a patient thrashed the doctor on Monday, June 9. The attack occurred inside the hospital premises around 2 PM.
Doctor assaulted in Hospital corridor
According to reports, the victim is a second-year DNB resident doctor from the gynaecology department. She was reportedly walking from the OPD to Ward No. 12 when she was intercepted by a group. The group started questioning the Doctor and soon the discussion escalated. The Doctor was then assaulted in a corridor by the attendants of a patient named Sonia.
The assailants allegedly pulled her hair, attempted to tear her clothes. They even tried to strangle her with her own stethoscope. The doctor sustained scratches and multiple injuries during the assault. All this allegedly happened because the newborn baby of the patient Sonia died.
Police Statement
Delhi Police said the attack was triggered by the death of a newborn baby earlier that morning. “Victim doctor stated that while she was going for her duty in ward no. 12, she was physically assaulted by 4/5 ladies who were attendants of patient Sonia, a resident of Bakkarwala, admitted in ward no. 11. They assaulted her and also pulled her hair. They also tried to tear her clothes. On enquiry, it was revealed that the patient was admitted for delivery and her newborn baby died in the morning today, on June 9. In the heat of anger, they assaulted the lady doctor,” the police said.
Resident Doctors’ Association reacts
The Resident Doctors’ Association (RDA), stated that the newborn had been in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) since June 2. However, the newborn baby passed away on Monday morning. Dr. Anirban Bhaumik, RDA president, stated that the scuffle occurred with a noticeable absence of security or hospital staff initially. He said that the fellow doctors and nursing staff later intervened.
Dr. Meenakshi Sidhar, the Medical Director of BSA Hospital, arrived at the scene within minutes and initiated a medico-legal case (MLC). She condemned the “brutal attack” and confirmed that CCTV footage had been handed over to the police. Dr. Sidhar emphasized that the newborn, delivered via Caesarean section with an Asphyxia score of three at birth, had been on ventilator support for seven days and that there was no medical negligence involved in the baby’s death.
Delhi Police registers FIR
Delhi Police have registered a case at the North Rohini police station. The case has been registered under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). This also includes the Medicare Service Personnel and Medicare Service Institutions Act. The sections include 221, 132, 121(1), 126(2), 76, and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), along with relevant provisions of the Medical Services Personnel and Medical Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage to Property) Act, 2008.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Rohini) Amit Goel confirmed that all five accused women were apprehended shortly after the incident. However, their subsequent release on bail has sparked widespread condemnation from the medical fraternity. “The doctor was suddenly intercepted and physically assaulted by four to five women who were attendants of a patient named Sonia, who was admitted to Ward No. 11 for delivery,” Goel said.