23 Yr Old Kerala Doctor Stabbed To Death By Patient
What has the world come to? Doctor being killed by the patient she was treating !Read more here.
A 23-year-old female doctor was stabbed to death on 10th May 2023 at a hospital in Kollam district in Kerala by a school teacher.
A man named Sandeep who is a school teacher had a fight with his family members. He called the district police control room, saying some people were attacking him. After being alerted, officials at the police station tried calling Sandeep. But he was unreachable. Sandeep called them again around 4 am, repeating that he was being attacked. The police were then able to find him near someone else’s house. When police arrived at the scene, they found him speaking and behaving in an abnormal manner and was under the influence of alcohol. He was injured and they took him to the hospital for medical examination and treatment to Kottarakkara Government Taluk Hospital. He had a wound on his leg.
A Police Officer said, "He had consumed alcohol and was violent when we took him to the hospital. He was being treated by Dr Vandana Das. Suddenly, Sandeep jumped out of the bed and kicked a relative named Binu. He took the scissors and scalpel from the room and stabbed a home guard who was accompanying the police team. Sandeep then turned against a policeman on duty at the hospital and another person. While all others in the dressing room managed to get out, Dr Vandana could not. Sandeep then turned against the doctor and stabbed her multiple times and was shouting 'I will kill you' When the officers tried to stop him, he attacked them too. Besides the doctor, four others were injured by the man who also vandalized some areas of the hospital. It was not yet known why he got so violent and targeted the doctor. The doctor sustained grievous wounds all over her body - neck, back etc. and was rushed to a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram and several attempts were made to save her but could not be saved. Sandeep was later subdued with much difficulty and taken into custody.
Both the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and Kerala Government Medical Officers' Association (KGMOA) doctors protested across the state against the incident and said that all services except emergency treatment will be suspended in Kollam district. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condoled the death of the doctor and said, “The incident was shocking and extremely painful. Assaulting health workers in the line of duty is unacceptable. A thorough investigation will be conducted into the incident. The government will take strong action against attacks on doctors and health workers. Health Minister Veena George's statement before the media that the victim was a house surgeon and therefore, inexperienced and got scared when the attack occurred.” Criticizing her statement, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee President K Sudhakaran questioned, "Does she mean the doctor was inexperienced to counter or defend against an attack by a man addicted to drugs and alcohol? The statement is a joke," Kerala Education Minister V Sivankutty also condoled the death and said the government will take all necessary action against the accused, who is a school teacher. Sandeep is a teacher at a government-aided upper primary school at Nedumpana in Kollam. The headmistress of the school, Susan said, “He joined in December 2021. Actually, he belongs to another aided school, but became a protected teacher as that school did not have enough students. We have not come across any incident showing that he is a drug addict… We don’t have any complaints about his behaviour.” However, his neighbour said Sandeep had a habit of creating trouble and turning violent under the influence of alcohol. On 9th May 2023, he had quarrelled with his mother in an inebriated condition.
Vandana was the only daughter of businessman K G Mohandas and Vasanthakumari. After her MBBS exams, she was required to complete 84 days of service at a rural hospital. For this, she started working at the Kottarakkara hospital from March. Mourning her death a village panchayat member said, “We were all proud of Vandana. She was excellent in studies. Her death is a loss for the entire village. We were excited and eagerly waiting to see her return after the internship.” Hundreds of people from various walks of life including ministers, MLAs paid their last respects to the deceased doctor, Vandana Das at her residence.
