Doctors stage strike at Nedumangad District Hospital; Superintendent injured in clash, admitted to ICU

NEDUMANGAD: A clash broke out at Nedumangad District Hospital yesterday following the death of an infant during a delivery surgery, and Hospital Superintendent Dr Simi was injured in the incident. Various political party workers staged a blockade at the hospital entrance, alleging that the baby’s death was due to the negligence of Gynecology Department doctor Dr Bindu Sundar and demanding her suspension. According to hospital staff and organizations including KGMOA, the superintendent was allegedly assaulted by political activists when she came out of her office after learning that the RDO had arrived to investigate the incident.

Dr Simi fell to the ground during the scuffle and suffered a neck injury. She was later admitted to the Neuro ICU of Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital after a CT scan confirmed serious injury, hospital sources said. In protest against the incident, doctors at Nedumangad Hospital went on strike yesterday. Specialty OP services were suspended, and only one doctor was available in the general OP.

District-level non-cooperation protest from today
The KGMOA district committee demanded strict action under the Hospital Protection Act against those who created a tense situation in the hospital, allegedly assaulted the superintendent, and disrupted hospital functioning. After boycotting services except emergency care as part of yesterday’s strike, doctors will begin a district-level non-cooperation protest from today. The organisation also protested against the suspension of the doctor before the completion of a scientific inquiry by an expert committee into the baby’s death. They demanded that the expert committee’s report be made public and called for legal action against groups that allegedly defamed doctors and health workers with false accusations. Office bearers warned that if appropriate decisions are not taken, the protest will be intensified across the state.

Complaint filed with Chief Minister
A complaint has been submitted to the Chief Minister seeking to prevent members of an organisation, to which the accused doctor belongs, from being part of the investigation into the baby’s death during the delivery surgery. The Chief Minister’s Office has forwarded the complaint to the Health Department for examination.

The complaint argues that including members from the same organisation in the probe could affect a fair investigation and demands that doctors from outside the directorate be included in the inquiry team. The complaint was filed under the leadership of High Court lawyer and social activist Kulathoor Jaising. It also urges the Home Department to classify bribery taken from patients for follow-up treatment as a serious criminal offence.