PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
A recent brawl between two groups in the Emergency ward of Government Doon Medical College (GDMC) Hospital has once again raised serious concerns over safety and security within the hospital premises. The incident has not only left patients and visitors worried but also prompted doctors and staff to raise concerns about their safety.
The latest happened late Saturday night. Some youths started arguing outside the Emergency department over an issue. Later, another group of about 20 people came and started shouting. Later, a fistfight ensued. Despite repeated requests by security personnel to calm down, the youths allegedly barged into the Emergency department itself and continued fighting there.
Hearing the commotion, the female Emergency Services Officer (ESO) and other medical staff rushed out. While they were trying to intervene, they were allegedly pushed and shoved. As the situation seemed to be spiralling out of control, police had to be called to restore normalcy. It took the police considerable time and effort to bring the situation under control.
Notably, this is not an isolated case. A few days ago, a fight broke out with attendants of a patient having beaten a staff member inside the hospital premises.
The repetition of such incidents has raised questions about the adequacy of existing security arrangements at the State’s premier hospital.
Commenting on the matter, the GDMC Hospital principal, Dr Geeta Jain said that the hospital had earlier approached the senior superintendent of police, Dehradun regarding security concerns. The doctors and other staff members at the hospital have also raised concerns on this matter.
“After the latest incident, we will once again write to the SSP Dehradun to ensure round-the-clock police deployment at the police post set up inside GDMC premises,” Jain said.
