T’puram: Indian Medical Association (IMA) and Kerala Govt Medical Officers’ Association (KGMOA) have strongly condemned the brutal attack on a woman doctor working at the Perinthalmanna district hospital. Dr Sini Jaleel, who works at the gynaecology department of the hospital, was allegedly attacked by four individuals at her clinic near her residence on Thursday evening. She is currently undergoing treatment in the surgical ICU of a private hospital for a fractured nose. Meanwhile, police arrested four women on Friday for the alleged attack on the doctor.In a statement, IMA alleged that the assault appeared to be premeditated and described it as a direct challenge to the public healthcare system. The incident is linked to the death of a patient who suffered from postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) — a rare but life-threatening complication — caused by an atonic uterus, a condition where the uterus fails to contract after childbirth, leading to excessive bleeding. Despite providing the best possible treatment, doctors were unable to save the patient’s life. Nine days after the incident, the patient’s relatives allegedly stormed the doctor’s consultation room and carried out the attack. IMA said the nature of the assault raised serious concerns, even suggesting it may have been an attempt on the doctor’s life. The injured doctor is currently undergoing treatment in the ICU. Criticizing the growing trend of branding all hospital deaths as medical negligence, the association stressed that complications during treatment cannot always be predicted and must be understood in a scientific context. “Such attacks on healthcare professionals are unacceptable, especially in a society like Kerala that prides itself on high standards in education and social development,” the IMA statement read. Meanwhile, KGMOA has strongly condemned the ‘brutal and premeditated’ attack and demanded exemplary punishment for all those involved. In a statement, the association said a young woman who developed severe complications due to postpartum haemorrhage was given timely treatment in accordance with medical protocol and was later referred to a better-equipped hospital. Despite all possible efforts by the medical team, the patient could not be saved. The association alleged that a group of individuals, however, misrepresented the natural complications associated with childbirth as medical negligence and forcibly entered the doctor’s consultation room, inflicting serious injuries. “Such acts of violence, stemming from a failure to understand the scientific challenges in medical treatment and taking the law into one’s own hands, are completely unjustifiable,” the statement said. KGMOA warned that such incidents could severely affect the morale of healthcare professionals and called for strict legal action against all those responsible.
