Kollam: The 22-year-old doctor, Vandana Das, who was on her duty at Kottarakkara taluk hospital in Kerala as part of her house surgeoncy training, has died after being stabbed multiple times by a man who was brought to the hospital for de-addiction treatment.
The tragic incident happened in the early hours of May 10 when the police personnel had taken the 42-year-old Sandeep, a school teacher from Kollam district, to the hospital after he had allegedly shown disturbance in his home. Sandeep is reportedly a drug addict and is being under treatment.
According to Pathanapuram MLA KB Ganesh Kumar, Sandeep was undergoing de-addiction therapy for drug use at the time of the attack. Sandeep had also been suspended from his job due to a drug use case against him.
While being treated at the Kottarakkara taluk hospital, Sandeep reportedly attacked Dr Vandana Das with a pair of surgical scissors. She suffered severe neck injuries and was rushed to KIMS hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, where she later succumbed to her injuries. The attack also left a home guard named Alex Kutty and Kottarakkara sub-inspector of police Manilal injured as they tried to intervene.
Following the incident, doctors from the Kollam district have called for a strike, while the Indian Medical Association has called for a statewide protest. The attack has sparked outrage among healthcare professionals, who are demanding that strict action be taken against perpetrators of violence against healthcare workers.
This attack comes just two months after a senior cardiologist was attacked at a private hospital in Kozhikode by a group of people who had accompanied a pregnant woman admitted to the hospital. Doctors' groups in Kerala had called for similar protests and boycotts of duties at the time, demanding action against the assailants.
The incident has once again highlighted the growing problem of violence against healthcare workers in India, which has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare workers have been subjected to verbal abuse, physical assaults, and even murder in recent months, as tensions have risen due to the pandemic. The Indian government has promised to take action to address the issue, but healthcare workers say that more needs to be done to protect them on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19.