A doctor in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district was allegedly manhandled by an attendant of a COVID19 patient at Sub District Hospital (SDH) Kupwara on Wednesday.
The doctor said that the incident happened after the “patient of the patient was advised to shift to Govt. Medical College (GMC) Baramulla for advanced treatment.”
Dr. Parvaize Ahmad, consultant ENT at SDH Kupwara alleged that the attendant of one patient whom he identified as Sajad Ahmad Bhat attacked and manhandled him while performing his duties, the allegation that the attendant denies.
The father of the said person has been admitted to the hospital for treatment of “double pneumonia.”
Talking to The Kashmir Walla, Ahmad said, “ They attacked me and used foul language after I advised them to take the patient to (GMC) Baramulla for critical care as the oxygen saturation of the patient was going down to 60-70, despite being on high flow oxygen,”
He said that it is in the protocol of the hospital to refer critical patients to the Baramulla Hospital but the attendants did not listen.
“If anything untoward happened to the patient they would have blamed us for this, as it has happened earlier at the hospital.”
Sajad Ahmad Bhat who is attending his father Gh Hassan Bhat (65) of Panzgam Kupwara at the hospital while talking to The Kashmir Walla, however, denied the allegations and alleged that the oximeters used by the doctors at the hospital show wrong results to which he objected, leading to the argument between the doctor and him.
Bhat said that in the wee hours on Wednesday he was threatened by doctors and was asked to take the patient to GMC Baramulla to which he objected. “When the condition of my father was good, what was the need to refer him to GMC Baramulla?” he asked.
The Medical investigation report sent by the attendant of the patient, on Wednesday evening showed that the SPO2 of the patient was 94 while his Pulse Rate was 98.
However, BMO Kupwara has instantly shot a letter to the Chief Medical Officer Kupwara requesting proper security arrangements as well as stringent action against the attendants for the “assault on the doctor on duty.”
“He was beaten by an attendant, his clothes and protective gear were torn apart,” reads the letter.
On Wednesday, Doctors Association Kashmir’s (DAK) Kupwara Wing condemned the alleged attack and manhandling of Dr. Ahmad, Consultant ENT in SDH Kupwara, and demanded action against the accused.
Expressing outrage, President DAK Kupwara Dr. Ajyaz Ahmad Bhat said, “this brute act of hooliganism against doctor and paramedic staff is unacceptable.”
Dr Ayjaz Ahmad one of the senior doctors at the hospital while talking to The Kashmir Walla said that earlier attendants of COVID19 patients abused doctors at the hospital after they restricted their movement in the hospital as the hospital has reserved a special canteen for the attendants of the patients to prevent spread of the virus.
Incharge Chief Medical Officer Kupwara Dr Abdul Gani Dar informed The Kashmir Walla that District Development Commissioner Kupwara Imam Din has constituted a committee to investigate the matter as attendants have also alleged that medicines and other facilities were not provided at the hospital.
“We are waiting for the report and will take action accordingly,” he said.
The hospital has at least 89 patients admitted and among them, nearly 40 are on high flow oxygen. “8 patients were discharged on Wednesday,” said a senior doctor at the hospital.
