Junior doctor alleges assault at Mayo Hospital casualty in Nagpur; cross FIRs filed

Nagpur: A junior resident doctor has alleged he was assaulted during a dispute over treatment in the casualty department of the Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Hospital (Mayo). The incident has brought the safety of doctors in government hospitals back into discussion. The allegation is that a father and son who came with a patient abused, shoved and beat the doctor on duty.

The complainant is Dr Sameer Vijay Chandekar, a first-year junior resident in General Surgery-III at Mayo Hospital. According to his complaint, Ranjit Jadhav and his son Vedant Jadhav came to the hospital at around 3.15 pm on November 4. After a preliminary examination by the chief medical officer (CMO), they were sent to Dr Chandekar.

Ranjit is said to have told the doctor that his son's finger had been severed into two pieces and was bleeding heavily. He also said he had brought the severed part with him. When the doctor asked to see it, the people with them allegedly showed a piece containing a nail and flesh. He is also said to have said the patient had earlier been treated and bandaged at the Mankapur primary health centre.

Dr Chandekar says no blood was visible on the bandage at the time of examination. He was then heading to the nursing counter to collect the X-ray requisition when another critically ill patient arrived, and he turned to treat that patient urgently.

The doctor alleges that Ranjit Jadhav was angered by the delay, pulled him and pushed him onto a bed. Vedant also joined in, and the two accused abused and beat him and scratched his chest with their nails, he says. Ranjit is also said to have threatened the doctor, saying he had links with the police department.

Tehsil police have registered a case under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including provisions relating to obstructing a public servant in the discharge of duty. Both sides then filed complaints against each other, and cross FIRs were registered, giving the case a further turn.

The incident has again raised concern over the safety of medical staff treating patients in government hospitals. It has been pointed out that doctors in casualty departments in particular face emergencies and tense situations every day.