The Pulwama district authorities have ordered an inquiry after a councilor misbehaved with the medicos and rained down expletives inside the hospital.
In a video of the incident shared with The Kashmir Walla, a person, who has been identified as Bilal Rather councilor, from the Municipal Council (MC) of Pulwama, is screaming at a doctor on duty, and later allegedly “hurling choicest abuses”. The video made rounds on social media platforms.
After the incident, the doctors of the DH Pulwama, including the paramedical staff, wrote to the concerned Medical Superintendent, seeking immediate action.
Later, the Deputy Commissioner, Pulwama, ordered the concerned ADC to probe the matter and submit the report within two days.
In a complaint to the district magistrate, Pulwama, reviewed by The Kashmir Walla, the Jammu and Kashmir Doctors Coordination Committee noted that “some miscreants lead by Mr. Bilal Ahmad Counselor barged into the duty room of the doctor at 06:30 Pm and hurled choicest abuses by the name of mother and sister.”
“The doctor concerned had felt so much threatened and intimidated but had still managed his duties overnight without any compromise despite huge mental trauma,” added the complaint, undersigned by Dr. Balvinder Singh, the spokesperson.
“This action of blocking patient care could have resulted in the death or a serious complication in any of the critical patients admitted in the emergency,” the complaint added.
The doctors later warned the administration of action within two working days, otherwise, “we will be forced to go for a union territory wide protest strike and responsibility should not like on us.”
The Medical Superintendent of DH Pulwama, has, in the meantime, lodged an FIR against the identified MC Pulwama Councillor. As per a report by Daily Excelsior, the medical staff stated that while their colleague was busy with his duty in casualty, “few miscreants barged into the room and started asking in a rude manner about the non-availability of USG facility in the hospital after 4.30 pm and why the patient has been asked to undergo USG outside.”
They said that the doctor accompanied the “mob” to the triage room where they hurled abuses at him, while he listened to them. “He tried to make them understand about the non-availability of USG facility after 4.30 pm that day as the concerned Sinologist’s son was admitted to ICU, but still they were not in a mood to listen.”
Meanwhile, the Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association took note of the incident and wrote on Twitter: “This is not activism, but HOOLIGANISM! You barged into a hospital with your abusive and inciting language & clearly you’ve no fear or respect for #LawAndOrder or even the Hon’ble @PMOIndia!”
