Patient attacks female intern at SVIMS

TIRUPATI: Junior doctors and students of Sri Padmavathi Medical College for Women staged a protest on Sunday after a female intern was attacked by a patient in the casualty ward of Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences (SVIMS) in Tirupati on Saturday evening.

The patient, identified as Bangarraju from Bobbili in Vizianagaram district, had come to Tirumala with his family for a pilgrimage. An epilepsy patient, he was admitted to the TTD’s Ashwini Hospital after he suffered a seizure. He was shifted to SVIMS on Saturday morning for further treatment. He was being administered intravenous fluids when he attacked the intern, who was on duty.

The doctor sustained a minor injury. Elaborating on the incident, the doctor in her statement to the director and vice-chancellor of SVIMS said, “During my duty, I was attacked by a patient. He approached me from behind, pulled my hair, and banged my head against the steel rod of a cot. Despite my efforts, I was unable to defend myself or restrain him. No security personnel were present to hep me. Had the patient been armed with a sharp weapon, there could have been serious consequences.”