Assailant stabs house surgeon to death at Government Taluk Hospital in Kottarakara

Doctors and staff protest at Kottarakkara Government Taluk Hospital against the killing of house surgeon Vandana Das. , Photo Credit: C. Sureshkumar

A woman doctor, Vandana Das, was stabbed to death by a police detainee at the Kottarakkara Government Taluk Hospital in Kollam district in the early hours of Wednesday.

The attack happened at 4 in the morning. Ms Das later succumbed to her injuries at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram.

The assault in the workplace unsettled the medical community and sent shock waves throughout society.

Kerala Government Medical Officers’ Association (KGMOA) state president Dr TN Suresh has called for a state-wide protest against the alleged failure of the government to provide workplace protection to healthcare professionals.

A five-member police team brought the suspected attacker, Sandeep, to the trauma care center of the hospital to undergo tests for alcohol and drug deficiencies. They had earlier taken him into custody following a complaint of domestic violence.

The assailant allegedly grabbed a knife and inflicted several stab wounds on Ms Vandana’s neck and back. Later, he allegedly turned on the officers who took him to the hospital. Four security personnel received minor injuries in the attack.

Indian Medical Association (IMA) office bearer Dr.N. Salfi said the police failed to handcuff the detainee, who was openly violent at the time of arrest and later at the police station. He alleged that the police could neither subdue the attacker nor stop the attack.

Mr. Suresh urged the government to make the Kerala Healthcare Service Persons and Healthcare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage to Property) Act, 2012 more stringent through suitable amendments.

He called for immediate installation of surveillance cameras in government hospitals and round-the-clock police protection.

Meanwhile, doctors and staff of the Kottarakara Government Hospital boycotted work and took out a protest march.