An Indian doctor was seen in footage beating up a patient with breathing problems after the victim asked to be spoken to with respect.
A doctor at Indira Ghandi Medical College in Shimla (IGMC), northern India, was accused of physically assaulting the patient during the altercation on Monday.
The victim, Arjun Panwar, had visited the hospital for medical tests and had laid down on a bed in another ward after experiencing breathing difficulties.
Mr Panwar said the doctor started speaking to him in a rude tone without any provocation, before an argument broke out when he complained about the behaviour.
According to the patient, the doctor then started hitting him.
‘I had just undergone a bronchoscopy and was struggling to breathe. When I asked for oxygen, the doctor questioned my admission status,’ Mr Panwar said.
‘I requested that he speak to me with respect, but he became confrontational.
‘When I asked if he spoke to his family in such a manner, he claimed I was getting “personal” and began hitting me,’ he added.
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The video quickly gained traction online, and the doctor can be seen repeatedly throwing punches at Mr Panwar as he attempted to shield himself.
Following the incident, a large crowd gathered at the hospital demanding action against the accused doctor.
The Shimla IGMC hospital administration has now set up a three-member inquiry committee.
Dr Rahul Rao, Medical Superintendent of IGMC Shimla, said the committee is investigating the matter and will submit its report imminently, adding that a police report has also been filed against the doctor.
It comes after two doctors in India were caught on video hurling abuse at each other inside an operating theatre as they conducted an emergency C-section, which resulted in a baby’s death in 2017.
Dr Ashok Nainiwal, an obstetrician, and Dr Murari Lal Tak, an anaesthetist, volleyed abuse at each other while operating on the unconscious woman.
Around a dozen medical staff were forced to stand around while the two men argued in the Umaid Hospital in Jodhpur.
Superintendent of Umaid Hospital, Dr Ranjana Desai, said the woman was brought into the hospital in a critical condition and was immediately shifted to the operating theatre.
She lost her baby soon afterwards due to severe birth asphyxia.
