Kin assault two JJ docs over patient’s death

Mumbai: Two resident doctors, including a woman, were allegedly beaten up by a patient’s relatives at the state-run JJ Hospital on Saturday morning. The incident prompted resident doctors at the hospital to go on a day-long strike.

According to the JJ Marg police, the incident took place in the morning when Zaida Sanaullah Sheikh, a 45-year-old resident of Mumbra, who was being treated for a gall bladder ailment, died.

Her family members alleged that it was due to negligence on the doctors’ part and beat up Dr Atish Parikh and a woman doctor who were on duty, a police official said.

They also allegedly ransacked the ward whose CCTV footage went viral on social media.

The police arrested four members of Sheikh’s family — Mohammad Altaf Anulahak Shaikh (32), Sony Sanaullah Shah (23), Rihan Sanaullah Shah (22), Kumari Samila Khatun Sanaullah Shah (20) — for the alleged assault.

The accused, all of whom reside in Mumbra, were booked under section 4 of the Maharashtra Medical Act; sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation), section 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), section 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), section 437 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees), section 141 (unlawful assembly), section 142 (being member of unlawful assembly) of the Indian Penal Code; and sections 3 and 7 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.

The magistrate court has remanded the accused in judicial custody till May 31.

In the wake of the incident, the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) alleged that despite repeated requests, there is no adequate security at the hospital.

MARD chief Dr Sarang Donarkar, in a letter to the dean of JJ Hospital, alleged that the number of security guards has been reduced to half.

Last year, a number of cases of assault on doctors were reported after which the state beefed up security at public hospitals.