Video: After Dombivli, another doctor assaulted in Kalyan

Dr Yogendra Jaiswal said he was examining Jaywant Deshmukh, who had suffered a rib fracture.

KALYAN: A doctor was allegedly assaulted by a patient’s son at a private hospital in Kalyan around 10.30pm on Saturday, raising fresh concerns over doctors’ safety in the region. The incident comes weeks after Shiv Sena corporator Ramesh Mhatre and his supporters allegedly assaulted a woman doctor at KDMC-run Shastri Nagar hospital in Dombivli.On the latest incident, Dr Yogendra Jaiswal, an orthopaedist at Bhanu Jyoti, a private hospital, said he was examining patient Jaywant Deshmukh, who had suffered a rib fracture, when his son Nitin repeatedly questioned him and allegedly addressed him disrespectfully. The commotion lasted five to six minutes, with other patients panicking, he said. Jaiswal called 112, following which police arrived and Nitin left.Jaiswal alleged that when he approached Kolsewadi police station, officers initially sought to register only a non-cognisable complaint, calling it a minor assault. After he and members of the doctors’ association approached senior officers, an FIR was registered about four hours later.“I felt terrible that despite doing so much work, we were not getting police support. I wondered why we entered the medical profession,” Jaiswal said. The doctors’ association condemned the incident and demanded strict action. “You may not consider doctors as gods, but at least let us live and work safely. Assault inside an OPD is unacceptable,” a member said.Police said an FIR has been registered and further investigation is underway.In early July, Ramesh Mhatre was allegedly caught on camera assaulting two doctors, including a woman doctor, and nurses at a civic hospital in Dombivli, triggering protests by doctors and healthcare workers across Maharashtra.The Bombay high court, which had initially denied Mhatre bail after taking suo motu cognisance of the case following a lower court’s bail order, granted bail to him and the other accused about a month later and directed them to remain outside Maharashtra until further orders. Mhatre is currently in Goa.Following the latest incident, doctors have demanded strict police action against the accused to prevent such incidents from recurring.