Father assaults Kerala doctor after losing daughter to rare brain infection
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Photo: Express
Kozhikode: Police confirmed that a doctor at Thamarassery Taluk Hospital was left seriously injured on Wednesday after being attacked with a machete. Dr Vipin P.T., who had been working in the emergency ward, sustained a skull fracture and was shifted to Baby Memorial Hospital in Kozhikode for urgent treatment.
According to officials, the attacker was identified as Sanoop, the father of nine-year-old Anaya, who died two months earlier from a rare brain infection known as Amoebic Meningoencephalitis. Investigators said Sanoop had arrived at the hospital with two children and asked to meet the Medical Superintendent.
When informed that the superintendent was in a meeting, he grew agitated. Witnesses reported that while Dr Vipin was speaking to a patient’s attendant, Sanoop suddenly pulled out a machete and attacked, claiming the doctor was responsible for his daughter’s death, TNIE reported.
Hospital staff locked the premises and alerted the police, who soon arrested Sanoop. Officers said charges would be filed shortly. Staff members added that Sanoop had not initially appeared threatening and was seen roaming the hospital compound from around 11 a.m., apparently waiting for the superintendent, without showing any visible weapon.
Dr Vipin is presently stable in Baby Memorial Hospital's neurosurgery intensive care unit. After being brought to the hospital with a fever, Anaya, a Class 4 student at Korangad Government LP School, passed away on August 14. She died while being transported to Kozhikode Medical College Hospital.
Her condition, according to health professionals, was caused by a rare infection rather than a common virus.
In response, doctors at government hospitals in Kozhikode went on strike, suspending all non-emergency services. The majority of operations at Thamarassery Taluk Hospital have likewise been shut down.
While the authorities continue their investigation, the medical community is calling for improved safety protocols and assistance.