'Beaten with footwear...': Female doctor at Delhi’s Hedgewar hospital assaulted by patient’s kin

NEW DELHI: A female doctor was allegedly verbally and physically assaulted by a patient's relatives at the Delhi government-run Hedgewar Hospital in Karkardooma on Friday morning. The doctor involved was unreachable as her phone was switched off and is reportedly traumatised by the incident, according to a colleague.
The patient's relatives allegedly assaulted the female doctor with footwear and physically manhandled her, according to a resident doctor.The incident occurred when a 70-year-old man had been brought to the hospital in critical condition, suffering from high blood pressure, paralysis on one side of his body, breathing difficulties, and chest pain that had persisted for three days, the junior doctor told PTI.
The patient was attended by the female doctor, who promptly suggested an ECG for further evaluation. However, the patient was allegedly not cooperative during the procedure and insisted on consulting a heart specialist, leading to his referral to the Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital, the resident doctor said.
He added that an ambulance was dispatched to take the patient to the GTB Hospital, along with a member of the hospital's staff due to the man's critical condition.
"Unfortunately, during the journey, the patient's condition worsened and he died. The ECG conducted at the GTB hospital showed no sign of life," the doctor said.
When the body was returned to the Hedgewar Hospital, the patient's relatives allegedly subjected the on-duty female doctor to verbal abuse as well as physical assault, leaving her traumatised, the resident doctor said.
No action has so far been taken by the hospital management in this regard, the junior doctor had further said.