Two distinct episodes of violence against doctors occurred in Chennai on Wednesday, raising serious concerns about the safety of medical personnel. The first assault happened at **Government Stanley Hospital**, where a patient from Neelankarai town named Bharat attacked Dr. Hariharan, an assistant professor in the psychology department. The assault occurred when Dr. Hariharan was seeing patients in the outpatient department. The doctor was given first aid right away despite having minor wounds. After an earlier stabbing incident involving an oncologist, this was the second attack of this kind to occur in Chennai on the same day.
The medical community was outraged by the attacks. Protests were organised by Stanley Hospital’s **resident doctors** to denounce the attacks and call for improved security for medical professionals. The emotional toll of these attacks was conveyed by Aarthi, a medical student who spoke on behalf of the doctors who were protesting. She pleaded on the public to view doctors as fellow humans rather than “gods” and to cease treating them as such. Aarthi emphasised how the rising number of violent occurrences has caused widespread dread among healthcare professionals. She added that because of the dangerous working conditions in India, a lot of doctors are now thinking about relocating overseas to pursue careers in medicine.
Another violent incident occurred in Guindy’s **Kalaignar Karunanidhi General Hospital** on the same day. A patient’s relative stabbed prominent oncologist Dr. Balaji seven times. Dr. Balaji suffered severe injuries as a result of the incident, underscoring the increasing risk that medical personnel face. The assault on Dr. Hariharan and this most recent act of violence have infuriated advocacy organisations and medical associations even more.
The **Indian Medical Association (IMA)** expressed outrage over the “lack of safety” for physicians in hospitals and denounced both attacks. They demanded immediate action in response to the rising number of violent crimes against healthcare professionals. In addition to denouncing the attacks, the **Tamil Nadu Medical Council** called on the state government to take swift, decisive action to protect physicians.
Medical associations are calling for tougher penalties for those who attack healthcare workers, increased hospital security, and the creation of a special helpline for physicians to report such instances in reaction to these recurring attacks. Since medical personnel are vital to the operation of the healthcare system, these instances have highlighted the urgent need for improved protection for them.
SOURCE :
ETV BHARAT
