Another Chennai doctor attacked in hospital, protests erupt across Tamil Nadu

Another doctor was reportedly attacked, this time by a patient, at a Chennai government hospital, on Wednesday, hours after an oncologist was stabbed in a super speciality hospital in the Tamil Nadu capital.
The victim was identified as Dr Hariharan, who works as an assistant professor in government-run Stanley Medical College’s Department of Psychology.
The accused, identified as Bharat from Neelankarai, was being treated at the hospital for the past month. He was arrested based on a complaint by hospital authorities.
The doctor was said to have received timely medical attention and was in a stable condition.
Earlier in the day, Dr Balaji, a senior oncologist and a teacher at the state-run hospital was stabbed seven times by the son of a former patient. The doctor sustained serious stab wounds in the attack and was undergoing treatment.
In the wake of these two attacks, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) held protests in several parts of the state condemning these incidents. The Tamil Nadu Government Doctors’ Association held a protest march in Coimbatore demanding that the government provide them with safety while they do their jobs.

The protests disrupted outpatient services in some hospitals for a few hours.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) had earlier condemned the incident and said that medical professionals in the country were stunned by the lack of safety for them.
Kalaignar Centenary Super Speciality Hospital Director Dr L Parthasarathy said that these protests were held for a few hours then normal services resumed. He said his hospital was running its emergency services and the “in-patient services were being taken care of”.
Dr Parthasarathy also gave an update on Dr Balaji’s condition. He said that Dr Balaji was in a stable condition and was responding well to treatment in the ICU. Dr Balaji sustained injuries to his abdomen, head and chest when he was attacked.