A group of doctors posted at the Jalpaiguri Medical College & Hospital (JMCH) resorted to protests early on Tuesday after the relatives of a patient allegedly abused and threatened them.

The doctors alleged that the abuse occurred as they told the kin to send the body for a post-mortem.

The doctors alleged that the relatives hurled abuses, threatened them with dire consequences and forcibly took away the body.

Around Wednesday midnight, Lipika Das, a 38-year-old cancer patient, was brought to JMCH from Mashkalaibari, ward 25, by relatives. Lipika was rushed to the emergency wing where Poulami Saha, the on-duty doctor, pronounced her dead on arrival.

“I told those accompanying the patient that the body had to be sent for post-mortem as the patient had died before reaching the hospital.
This made him angry and they hurled abuses at me,” said Saha.

Sources said Saha tried to tell them that it was the norm so that the cause of death could be ascertained, but the deceased’s kin and neighbours got aggressive and started threatening her.

“They threatened me with foul language. I commute daily from Siliguri and feel intimidated. We have informed the police,” Saha added.

Other doctors and private security personnel reached the spot.

Snehal Dey, another doctor on duty in one of the wards, recalled: “Some people were abusing us and said they would take away the body. There were cops and private security personnel on campus but they didn’t act.
It is unfortunate that we doctors have to face insults and threats for doing our duty and following norms in case a patient is brought dead to any health establishment,”
said Dey.

The relatives and neighbours of the deceased denied misbehaviour.

“We didn’t misbehave with anybody,” said a relative who didn’t want to be named.

The police were informed but before a team could reach there, the woman’s body was taken away.

“The body was released after the family members signed an undertaking. We have filed a complaint with the police,” said Surajit Sen, the assistant superintendent of JMCH.

A senior doctor posted at the hospital said: “In all such cases when the patient has died before reaching the hospital, post-mortem is mandatory. It helps in ascertaining the cause of death and whether the death was normal.”

The incident prompted doctors to launch a protest which continued till 3am. Senior doctors and police officers went to the hospital and persuaded them to withdraw the protest.

On Wednesday, the JMCH authorities held a meeting. “The patient’s family has violated the rule. I have passed a clear instruction that such an incident should not happen again. The police have also been asked to act in such cases,” said Prabir Deb, the principal.

Police officials said they started a probe and were checking CCTV footage.