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3 Mumbai doctors attacked by dengue victim's kin

Mumbai - About 1,200 resident doctors of KEM hospital went on a flash strike, protesting against the incident.

Angry relatives of a boy, who was suffering from dengue and died at the state-owned KEM hospital on Friday, attacked three doctors accusing them of negligence while providing treatment.
About 1,200 resident doctors of the hospital went on a flash strike, protesting against the incident. The hospital dean lodged a first information report (FIR) later in the day against the parents and other relatives.
A spokesman of the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD), which has been urging the government to take steps to prevent attacks on their members at public hospitals, said the relatives attacked the three doctors with iron rods. All three have been hospitalised.
Resident doctors at the KEM hospital, located in central Mumbai, claimed that the security personnel ran away when they saw the relatives, armed with rods, attacking the doctors,.
The child was brought to the hospital on Thursday night, after the parents were advised by a private clinic to get him admitted at a government facility.
However, according to hospital sources, since there were no beds available in the intensive care unit (ICU), he was admitted to the general ward. He was being treated in the ward, but his condition deteriorated early on Friday and he succumbed to the disease.
Soon after his death, the parents and relatives blamed the doctors at the government hospital. They then allegedly attacked three of junior doctors who were present in the ward. Nearly 2,500 patients are undergoing treatment at various hospitals and clinics for the deadly disease.
There have been several attacks in the past on resident doctors at government hospitals in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra. MARD has been demanding tough punishments for the culprits, besides round-the-clock security at the facilities.
About four persons have died because of dengue in Mumbai this monsoon. Nearly 2,500 patients are undergoing treatment at various hospitals and clinics for the deadly disease. According to the public health department, about 500 patients had tested positive in 2015 to dengue in Mumbai.
The Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC), which is supposed to take preventive measures to curb the spread of the disease, has been conducting raids at the homes of Bollywood celebrities and imposing fines after finding mosquito breeding sites.
The BMC has sent notices to nearly 2,000 people, a majority of them living in upmarket residential areas. They include actors including Juhi Chawla, Anil Kapoor and Jitendra. - nithin@khaleejtimes.com