What Happened at Mumbai's Cooper Hospital Involving Assault on Doctors?
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Mumbai, Nov 8 (NationPress) A disturbing episode of aggression against healthcare professionals unfolded at R.N. Cooper Government Hospital in Mumbai, where three doctors on emergency duty were reportedly attacked by relatives of a patient who lost her life during treatment, according to a statement from the hospital on Saturday.
As per hospital officials, a 65-year-old female patient was admitted to the emergency department suffering from severe breathlessness and extreme weakness on Friday evening.
She was promptly attended by Casualty Medical Officer (CMO) Gaurav Anandgaonkar, Medicine Resident Karan, and interns Prashant Bhadke and Rahul Pradhan.
Despite immediate CPR and other critical interventions, the patient could not be revived and was pronounced dead at 12:32 a.m. on Friday.
After the announcement, a relative of the deceased reportedly became violent and began to physically assault the doctors.
Anandgaonkar sustained multiple blows to the face, Intern Prashant Bhadke was attacked, and Medicine Resident Karan faced injuries to the face, eye, chest, and abdomen while attempting to defend his colleagues.
The hospital reported that the assault occurred in the casualty ward "in full public view," claiming that the security personnel present failed to act.
"Despite numerous calls for assistance, no timely response was provided, allowing the assailant to continue his aggressive behavior unimpeded," the statement added.
The hospital further named the on-duty security staff -- Sanjay Lite, Deepchand, Vikas Kate, and Palan Thakur -- accusing them of negligence and failing to fulfill their duties.
Describing the incident as "alarming and unacceptable," the hospital emphasized that doctors were attacked while fulfilling their responsibilities in an effort to save a life, a scenario that "cannot be tolerated under any circumstances."
A formal complaint has been lodged at the Juhu Police Station.
The police have registered a case against the suspect, identified as Sameer Abdul Jabbar Shaikh, under IPC sections 121(1), 132, 352, and 351(2).
Investigations are currently ongoing.
The injured doctors have received treatment and are reported to be in stable condition.