• Source:JND
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Andhra Pradesh: Amid the nationwide outrage over the safety and security of women in the wake of the rape and murder of 31-year-old trainee doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, a woman junior doctor was attacked by a patient at a hospital in Tirupati. The incident took place at Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences (SVIMS) and was captured by a CCTV camera in the hospital.

The footage shows the attacker grab the doctor by her hair and bang her head on the steel frame of a hospital bed. However, other doctors present in the ward come to their colleague's rescue and manage to break free her.

In a letter to SVIMS director cum vice-chancellor Dr RV Kumar, the intern said she was on duty in the Emergency Medicine Department on Saturday. "... I was unexpectedly attacked by a patient, Bangaru Raju, who approached me from behind, pulled my hair and began forcibly banging my head against the steel rod of a cot," she wrote, adding that no security personnel were present at the site to help her.

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The incident, she said, raises serious concerns about safety in the workplace. "If the patient had been armed with a sharp weapon, the situation could have escalated with severe consequences," the doctor wrote, demanding security measures to ensure the safety of staff.

The incident at the Andhra hospital comes weeks after the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor in Kolkata. The incident has sparked massive protests across the country with doctors from various institutions demanding measures to ensure their safety at work.

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The Supreme Court has now set up a 10-member National Task Force to recommend steps to prevent violence against and ensure working conditions for healthcare workers. The court has said the task force would prepare an action plan to prevent gender-based violence and ensure a dignified working space for doctors.