Munish Sood
Mandi
The fallout from the d*eath of a woman following childbirth at the Regional Hospital in Kullu has widened, with the medical fraternity demanding legal action against those accused of storming the hospital and allegedly intimidating healthcare workers during protests over the incident.
The demand comes days after the Himachal Pradesh Government suspended gynaecologist Dr. Anu Devi and staff nurse Reshma in connection with the death of Manju Sharma, whose demise after delivery triggered widespread public outrage and large-scale demonstrations outside the hospital.
On Wednesday, doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals, under the banner of the Himachal Pradesh Medical Officers Association and the Indian Medical Association, submitted memorandums to the Chief Minister, the Health Minister and the Health Secretary through the Deputy Commissioner, calling for enhanced security at government hospitals and strict action against those responsible for the violence.
A separate complaint was also submitted to the Additional Superintendent of Police, seeking criminal proceedings against individuals allegedly involved in mobilising the crowd and disrupting hospital services.
The medical associations alleged that a crowd of nearly 2,500 people entered the hospital premises during the protests, forcing its way into the emergency department, triage area, paediatric ward, registration counters and administrative offices. They claimed doctors and nurses on duty were verbally abused, threatened and physically intimidated, creating an atmosphere of fear and severely affecting patient care.
The memorandum further alleged that the hospital’s Medical Superintendent was pressured into publicly reading an internal inquiry report, which was streamed live on social media. It also accused protesters of circulating photographs and personal details of doctors and nurses online, exposing them and their families to potential security risks.
The associations specifically named Bunty Saraji, Sanjay Chauhan and Sumit Thakur, alleging that they played a key role in gathering the crowd, and urged the administration to conduct a fair investigation and initiate legal proceedings against all those responsible.
Dr. Rajendra Kohli, president of the district unit of the Himachal Pradesh Medical Officers Association, said the incident had deeply shaken the confidence of healthcare workers and created an environment where doctors feared performing their duties.
Indian Medical Association district president Dr. Mahesh Kapoor said rising incidents of violence against healthcare professionals were becoming a serious concern and called for institutional safeguards to ensure the safety of doctors, nurses and paramedical staff across the state.
Backing the suspended nursing staff, Nursing Staff Association president Amita Paul said the allegations against the nurses were unfounded and pointed out that the hospital had handled nine deliveries on the day of the incident despite severe workload pressures.
The doctors’ organisations said the hospital had 218 admitted patients and 11 emergency cases at the time of the protests, arguing that the disruption endangered patient care and compromised the functioning of the district’s premier healthcare facility.
The medical fraternity has maintained that while the d*eath of Manju Sharma must be investigated thoroughly, violence, intimidation and interference in hospital operations cannot be justified under any circumstances. They have urged the state government to ensure both a transparent inquiry into the maternal death and adequate protection for healthcare workers in public hospitals.
