Doctors, students of Mumbai's KEM Hospital protest over assault of colleagues

Resident doctors and students of Mumbai's King Edward Memorial Hospital and the Seth Gordhandas Sunderdas Medical College staged a protest here after three of their colleagues were allegedly assaulted by angry kin of a patient who had died of dengue fever early on Friday.

The injured doctors were admitted to the hospital's ICU (intensive care unit) with serious, said the protesting doctors.

Dr Akshay, a super specialty resident doctor with the cardiology department, said, "Around 3.30 a.m., a dengue positive child was admitted at the paediatric ward. We informed his relatives that the patient was serious. And, as soon as it was declared that their patient had died, the victim's relatives expressed their anger and hit one of our residents. Three doctors were badly injured and shifted to the ICU with serious head and other injuries."

He recalled that a similar incident had happened a month back during a 15-20 day strike, and the health minister had promised that security would be upgraded on the campus and in the hospital, but no action has been taken for the past 40 days.

He said, "The dean and the principal had also assured that necessary action would be taken, and if no action was taken, we would extend our protest." .