Amid the ongoing debate regarding the lack of safety for Indian medical workers, a doctor in Tamil Nadu was stabbed at a government hospital in Chennai by a patient's son.
The incident took place on Wednesday morning at Kalaignar Multi-Speciality Hospital in Guindy. The doctor has been identified as Dr Balaji Jaganathan was critically injured after the patient's son stabbed the oncologist seven times.
Based on reports, the patient's son attacked the doctor over grievances related to his mother's cancer treatment.
"He closed the OP room and stabbed the doctor in his neck, behind his ear, chest, forehead, on his back, head and stomach. There was a huge blood loss. Already he is a heart patient and he had undergone surgery for his heart ailment,' an emergency medicine anesthesiologist who witnessed the attack told reporters as per PTI.
Following the incident, the doctor was rushed for emergency surgery after sustaining injuries to his scalp, neck, head and ear. The assailant has been identified as 26-year-old Vignesh.
Chennai Incident Raises Safety Concerns For Doctors
Following the horrific rape and killing of a 31-year-old resident doctor in Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, doctors across India announced a strike and demanded a safer workplace for medical and healthcare workers.
The strike united doctors across government, state and private hospitals, as they called on the West Bengal and Central governments for justice for the victim and a protection of doctors.
The recent stabbing of a doctor in Chennai has once again brought focus back to the lack of safety for doctors.
Doctors at the government hospital have been protesting in light of the incident and all non-emergency treatment at the hospital has been suspended.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has also condemned the incident. Taking to social media platform X, the CM lauded the selfless work of doctors.
"The selfless work of our government doctors is immeasurable in providing appropriate treatment to the patients who seek government hospitals regardless of time. It is our duty to ensure their safety during this work. The government will take all measures to prevent such incidents from happening in the future," said Stalin.
