AMU doctors attacked by patient kin

Relatives of a suspected Covid-19 patient, who was admitted at the AMU medical college casualty with respiratory distress, allegedly manhandled and assaulted doctors and staff after they were informed of non-availability of ventilator at the ICU in the hospital.

Later, the patient Haseena Bano, 55, died in the hospital on Monday.

An FIR was registered and all the four relatives of the deceased, who allegedly manhandled the doctors and staff, were arrested by the police later on Monday.

Hamza Malik, the president of the Resident Doctors' Association, said the patient was admitted at 1.30 p.m. with a history of breathlessness and dry cough for the past two-three days.

After a few hours, the patient's oxygen level suddenly started dipping but as a ventilator was not available in the trauma ward that time, the relatives were informed and advised to shift the patient to some other hospital.

"As soon as we explained this to the patient's attendants, they started abusing us and became physically violent. They also gave us life threats and made an attempt to tear the PPE of one of the women doctors.

"One of the patient attendants tried to throw an oxygen cylinder at us with intention to kill but somehow we managed to save ourselves," she said.

Civil Lines circle officer, Anil Samaniya, said all four accused have been arrested under section 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 353 (Whoever assaults or uses criminal force to any person being a public servant in the execution of his duty as such public  servant), 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of IPC on the basis of a complaint filed by doctors.

He said, two of them were given bail to carry out the funeral of the deceased while the other two will be produced in court.