A woman duty doctor at a government hospital in the Kollam district of Kerala was stabbed to death by a patient who was brought to the hospital for medical examination on Wednesday. The incident took place in the government taluk hospital in Kottarakkara.
The deceased was identified as 23-year-old Vandana Das, who was on duty at the hospital. She suffered multiple injuries to the chest and neck and was rushed to a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram. However, she succumbed to her wounds on Wednesday morning.
The accused was identified as Sandeep, a 42-year-old primary school teacher. He also attacked four other people at the hospital, including the policemen who brought him there for the medical examination.
Kerala Doctor Killed By Patient
Police took Sandeep into custody at his house on Tuesday night after he violently attacked his family members. The family members had called the emergency police number to alert the police about his violent behaviour. He was found to have consumed alcohol when the police arrested him.
The police had taken Sandeep to the hospital to treat a minor injury on his leg and for a mandatory medical examination. Unexpectedly, Sandeep had turned violent without any provocation and grabbed a surgical scissor and a scalpel from the dressing room at the hospital while Dr. Das was attending to the wound on his leg. He stabbed her repeatedly in the neck and chest and attacked the policemen who took him to the hospital.
The police officials said that since Sandeep was alone with the doctor, the police were not allowed inside while a patient’s wound was being treated. The police then saw the doctor running out as she screamed for help. The doctor was followed by Sandeep, who was carrying a scissor and scalpel in his hand.
Sandeep attacked the policemen who tried to stop him from attacking the doctor and vandalised some areas of the hospital. Finally, he was subdued with great difficulty and taken into custody.
According to the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Dr. Vandana Das was a house surgeon at Azeezia Medical College Hospital and was a duty doctor at the government hospital as a part of her training programme. The association expressed grief and anger over the unfortunate incident.
The Kerala Government Medical Officers Association (KGMOA) is protesting against the young doctor’s murder and has announced a strike in the Kollam district.
The Kerala High Court in December 2022 expressed concern over the increasing attacks on doctors in the state. It ordered the police to file an FIR within an hour of receiving such a complaint so that immediate action would instil fear among perpetrators. This came after the state reportedly recorded four instances of violence against doctors in a period of three weeks. A total of 147 cases were reported throughout the year.
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