Mob assaults medical officer at Surgana

NASHIK: An irate mob, including the relatives of a patient, on Monday allegedly assaulted a medical officer at Borgaon Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Surgana Taluka, around 77 km from here. The medical officer received serious head and leg injuries in the attack and was immediately admitted to the civil hospital in the city.
Following the incident, the doctors' fraternity has decided to strike work at outdoor patients' department (OPD) on Tuesday and has demanded that the culprits be booked immediately.
"Mohan Gaikwad was beaten up by the mob in Borgaon village around 3.30pm after Maltibai Chaudhary (65) died within half an hour of admission," said Yogesh Sale, district health officer (Nashik). "The relatives of Chaudhary held the doctor responsible for her death," Sale said, adding that additional district health officer V N Dekate was on his way to the PHC to take stock of the situation.
Gaikwad, who was admitted to the civil hospital by some of the villagers and the PHC staff, has suffered head injuries and two fractures on his leg, said additional chief surgeon GM Hole, who is treating the medical officer.
According to the Surgana police, Chaudhary had been to the forest, where she had a fall. Chaudhary was rushed to the PHC around 11.30 am. The doctor administered her saline, but Chaudhary succumbed to her injuries, following which the irate mob manhandled the doctor, who tried to escape. In an attempt to jump from the compound wall of the PHC, the medical officer injured himself, the police said, adding that they are in the process of registering a case in this connection.
Meanwhile, the doctors at the health centre condemned the incident and presented a memorandum to the deputy director of health, Zilla Parishad chief executive officer and the district collector. "We have demanded to register a case under the stringent Maharashtra Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions Act, 2010, and sought better cooperation from the police in such cases. We have also decided to go on a token strike in the OPDs on Tuesday and sport black ribbons from Wednesday," said Pardeep Jaibhave, joint secretary, Maharashtra Association of Gazetted Medical Officers.