The Kerala High Court Wednesday (May 10) came down hard on the Pinarayi Vijayan-led state government and the police for the killing of a 23-year-old doctor at a taluk hospital in the Kottarakkara area of Kollam district by a man she was treating, saying it indicated their “failure” to protect doctors. The on-duty doctor Vandana Das was stabbed to death in the wee hours of Wednesday by the man she was treating.
Slamming the state establishment for their apathy and callousness, a special bench of Justices Devan Ramachandran and Kauser Edappagath said the police were trained and expected to protect women and children, but they failed to protect the young doctor.
Questioning the need for the police force, the court said, “It is a complete failure of the system. Having an aid post in a hospital is not enough. When you (police) knew the man was acting abnormally, you should have restrained him.”
“You should be able to anticipate the unanticipated. Else there is no need for the police. Over time, we have become casual, Did you not fail this girl?” the bench asked, adding that it had on several occasions in the past warned that such an incident would occur if nothing was done.
“This is what we were scared of. We had said in the past that something like this could happen,” the bench lambasted.
Worried that the incident would create a “fear psychosis” among other doctors and medical practitioners, the court asked what the Kerala government’s next course of action would be given that the doctors have gone on strike.
“Doctors have gone on strike. What excuse would you give for the denial of treatment to thousands of patients as a result? Can you blame the doctors for any problem caused to any patient today due to the strike?” the court asked the state government.
The rebuke came after S Sandeep, an accused in custody brought in by the police for treatment of his injuries killed a woman doctor at the Kottarakkara taluk hospital. The perpetrator stabbed the on-duty doctor Vandana Das to death in the wee hours of Wednesday in the Kottarakkara neighbourhood.
She sustained multiple stab wounds on her chest and neck and died after a few hours at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram where she was admitted after the gruesome incident.
He also attacked the policemen, who attempted to stop him and brought him there for medical examination. He injured four people along with the doctor and vandalised some areas of the hospital.
In light of the unfortunate occurrence, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) called for a twenty-four-hour statewide strike on Wednesday which lasted until 8 am on Thursday. The strike did not affect the intensive care units and emergency wings.
In Kottarakkara, medical professionals protested against the tragedy by taking to the streets. Other hospitals throughout the state also witnessed similar demonstrations. Doctors from the Kerala Government Medical Officers’ Association (KGMOA) and the Indian Medical Association (IMA) both protested against the episode throughout the state.
