A doctor in Kerala’s Thamarassery Taluk Hospital was hacked over the head by a man with a machete on Wednesday. The casualty medical officer, Dr Vipin P T, has been moved to a private hospital in Kozhikode for treatment. He is said to have sustained critical head injuries.
The assailant was identified as Sanoop, the father of a nine-year-old girl who died after contracting amoebic encephalitis in the same hospital. The man has been taken into custody, according to ManoramaOnline.
According to an official at the hospital, Sanoop entered the casualty wing with two children and had initially asked to see the Medical Superintendent. Dr Vipin had told him that the superintendent was in a meeting. When Sanoop insisted, the doctor and two lab technicians accompanied him to the place where the meeting was held. He was later provoked and attacked Dr Vipin with a machete.
At one point, Sanoop had reportedly asked, "Isn't this the man who killed my daughter?"
The man had alleged that his daughter, Anaya, did not receive adequate care and treatment at the facility. Anaya’s fever had worsened and she was later taken to the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital. She died on August 14. Tests conducted after her death confirmed that she had contracted the deadly brain infection caused by Naegleria fowleri ("brain-eating amoeba").
Later on, Anaya’s brother was also found to have contracted the infection.
Both Anaya and her brother, who are from Aanapara in Thamarassery, used to practice swimming in a pond near their house before contracting the fevers.
The Kerala Government Medical Officers’ Association (KGMOA) have announced a statewide protest on Thursday as a response to the attack. In a statement they strongly condemned the attack on the doctor. The association urged the government to "take immediate and effective measure to ensure the safety of healthcare workers in government hospitals."
Listing off a set of demands they also called on local self government bodies to fully implement the Code Grey protocol, which they say have not been in full effect due to staff shortages. |
