#DoctorLivesMatter: Amid the pandemic, is India failing its doctors?

On Tuesday, a 55-year-old co-morbid patient died around 6:30 pm. He was walking alone to the washroom and passed out. Doctors said the deceased was advised against removing his CPAP (Continuous positive airway pressure), a machine that would help him breathe, but he did so anyway.

After his demise, his relatives stormed into Acute Medical Care (AMC) unit and attacked a few doctors.

The post-graduate student, who suffered grave injuries, was first attacked with a chair, then with a metal stool.

One doctor said some were saved as hospital staff locked the room.

Separately, the doctors said the patient had uncontrollable diabetes for the last two days, his critical condition was explained well, and he was suggested against leaving the bed. Despite CPR, he couldn't be revived.

After the attack, the doctors continued their protests till 3 am on Wednesday and resumed it at 8 am.

They initially sat inside the premises, but later came on the main road and voiced their discontent for some 18 hours.

They held placards reading, "Here to serve. Not to suffer", "Exhausted and understaffed", "COVID-19 Journey: Claps to Slaps", "Why only Gandhi (hospital), Decentralize".

Notably, Dr. Ravi Chandra, a house surgeon, complained that the government or the hospital doesn't care about them.

"A few days ago, they made us sit in the sun for two hours to shower petals to show respect...We didn't ask to be appreciated like that," he told NDTV.

If they have to appreciate our efforts, they should pay heed to our concerns, he added.

To make matters worse, the police team deployed for the safety of the staff left half an hour before their shift was due to end, without handing over the charge to their colleagues.

In this duration, the attackers had a free run. Eyewitnesses told Deccan Chronicle the incident was imminent as several attendants demanded access to the COVID-19 ward and claimed facilities were improper.

Cops work in three shifts — 6 am to 2 pm, 2 pm to 8 pm, and 8 pm to 6 am. Nearly 15 minutes after the officers left (around 7:30 pm) the emotionally charged relatives hurled abuses at doctors and threw chairs.

After frantic calls to superiors some policemen, present in other areas, rushed.

Eyewitnesses said police presence could have thwarted the attack.

Battling a deadly virus, the apathy of the government, and fury of attendants, the Telangana Junior Doctors Association (TJUDA) has demanded three things, namely security, decentralization, and recruitment.

The body wants paramilitary forces and distribution of COVID-19 cases to other hospitals as Gandhi Hospital is on the verge of collapse.

Specialist doctors, broad specialty doctors, nursing staff, and paramedic staff should be recruited too.

A junior doctor told IE the hospital's capacity is 1,100 beds.

"The increased number of beds is merely numerical. Those beds can be accommodated anywhere. The library and reading room have been taken into consideration for space," he said and disclosed the real problem was lack of staff. They just don't have enough people.

Not one recruitment happened since the pandemic hit, he said.

With the hope that their problems would be resolved, a doctors' delegation met Health Minister Eatala Rajender, but he didn't give a concrete answer.

TJUDA member Dr. Shashidhar said the minister said he would get back after discussing their problems with Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.

"We have decided to boycott COVID-19 duties. The talks with the government have failed," he told TNM.

Meanwhile, the Hyderabad Police arrested two people. "Under any circumstances attack on medical staff will not be tolerated. Most firm and stringent legal action will be taken," a tweet read.

The case was registered under relevant sections of IPC, Section 3 of Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, and Section 4 of the Telangana Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions Act, 2008.