igmc-incident-is-a-wake-up-call-for-govt

The unfortunate incident involving a Himachal Pradesh doctor in a physical scuffle with a patient at Indira Gandhi Medical College Hospital, Shimla, two days ago casts a shadow on what is seriously ailing the health services in Himachal Pradesh. The state's image has definitely taken a beating in the wake of this, and it should now be taken as a wake-up call for the government to improve the overall health sector scenario by examining the underlying reasons.  

 

The incident, which took a serious shape due to communication issues between the patient and doctor in the pulmonary ward, apparently brings to the fore the stress under which the doctors are working in the hospitals in Himachal Pradesh, mismanagement on the part of the hospital administration, and above all, the power of social media to blow things lopsided. Even as the Doctor, Senior Resident in the Pulmonary Medicine department in IGMC, was suspended immediately after the incident, the Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has taken cognizance of the matter personally and has asked the hospital administration to submit the detailed inquiry report into the incident by today (Wednesday) itself, and has stressed the need for induction training of Senior Residents.

 

Yet, whatever be the outcome of this incident, none can ignore the fact that the health services in Himachal Pradesh, which ranked among the top states till a few years ago, has deteriorated with time. The lack of facilities and lesser number of doctors/ specialists compared to the number of health institutions at all levels are the main reasons. The working hours of the doctors in government medical colleges extend beyond ‘humane' consideration due to the extreme rush of patients. The political interference in the functioning of health institutions is also a factor for degrading health services.

 

There is much pressure on the Junior and Senior residents in the medical colleges, who are the ones to do duties extending to even 36 hours at a stretch, with no concern for their personal well being or mental health at any levels. Even otherwise, these doctors, who stay overnight in hospitals for duties, are not being given standard facilities to relax. The Doctor Duty rooms in the hospital premises are neither clean nor provide a proper space for doctors to relax when there is no call. Pertinent to mention, the small Doctor’s duty room aside the Pulmonary Medicine ward in IGMC is a live example, which does not even have a proper bed, washroom for the doctor on duty.

 

The present case was, however, highlighted beyond repair as the doctor, who has been working with sincerity going by his empathetic approach wherein he has been helping the poor patients out of the way during his previous posting in Nahan Medical College, the patient-doctor conflicts have become routine in the government hospital/ medical colleges in the state with such working conditions of doctors especially when most of the patients carry one or the other influence with him, which raises his individual expectations from the government set up.

 

In this case, the verbal duel reportedly took a serious turn over communication issues and the impatience, which certainly has bigger reasons at the back. What is surprising is that neither the security guards outside, nor the attendant of the patient, nor other doctors intervened, and it happened like that- where the patient on the bed was seen holding the IV stand, pushing the Senior Resident with his legs, and the latter coming forcefully towards him, beating him with his hands.  

 

The patient's attendant, who recorded the video standing side by side and shared it further, making it viral in no time on Monday afternoon, called more people in the meantime. After some hours, lots of people, whose number turned out to be more than 100, surrounded the ward, and it all went on till late at night, with doctors, Police and media also standing there, and the rush turning unmanageable. The Senior Resident Doctor had to stay, locked inside the Duty Room, with the mob in the corridors of the Pulmonary Medicine ward talking in threatening tones. The ruckus went on in the premier hospital, disturbing the peace of all other patients. The situation was sensitive, and the hospital administration was helpless in front of so many aggressive voices. The patient also lodged a Police complaint against the doctor.

 

While the Resident Doctors Association (RDA), Indira Gandhi Medical College, later came out with the version of the doctor, who gave them in writing against the patient for pushing him, hitting him first, and obstructing him from performing his duty.

 

 

“The doctors have been treating patients with sincerity. And while it is difficult to become a doctor, clear NEET exams at UG and then PG levels, it is very difficult for them to carry on with long duty hours. Still, they do. We just want the authorities to do an impartial inquiry into the episode, it was a scuffle and not just one sided event. The video which went viral, is just one aspect; what happened before that and what led to that, we want that also to be considered. It has been an incomplete story running on social media,” the RDA said.

 

The doctor, who too has submitted a complaint to the Police online, himself came live on social media to narrate the sequence of events and said the patient started hitting him first.

 

“So in such a situation, what should the doctor do? Only doctors have to show patience. We are also humans. It was a fearful environment with threats being openly issued,” he said. The doctor was admitted to the hospital after the incident with some injuries.

 

The Himachal Pradesh Medical Officers Association has separately issued a press release. Calling the incident unfortunate, the Association has demanded the deployment of security personnel and trained security guards in the hospital premises to safeguard the security of patients, their attendants, and medical professionals. The Association has urged the government to reinstate the doctor till the inquiry is completed and said no unilateral decision should be taken without a fair, impartial, and transparent inquiry, involving all the parties concerned. The Association said the Senior Resident Doctor at the IGMC has been a dedicated and duty bound medical professional, who has always kept patient care above everything else, going by the past examples about his selfless service.

 

“This doctor took the responsibility at Medical College Nahan to accompany a poor female patient to Chandigarh in an ambulance, when there was no medical technician. He ensured her safe transfer to the higher medical institutions in Chandigarh and provided her necessary medical treatment on the way,” the Association referred.

 

The Association urged the government to take cognizance of the matter of gathering patients' supporters outside the hospital and threatening the doctor to either leave the country or face consequences after stepping outside the hospital.

 

The attendant’s family and people from his home area Chopal, along with the local MLA, approached the Health and Family Welfare minister, Col Dhani Ram Shandil to take strict action against the doctor, even as Leader of Opposition, Jai Ram Thakur has expressed concern over the incident and has asked the government to take appropriate steps to improve the health systems in Himachal.

 

“The IGMC incident is a warning to the health department. The lack of system in hospitals, unmanageable rush, work stress on staff, and administrative lapses lead to such incidents. The government should take concrete steps so that it is not repeated,” he said.