Srinagar, Apr 25: A 55-year-old woman from Srigufwara in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district died at the Government Medical College (GMC) Anantnag on Friday evening, triggering allegations of medical negligence by her family and subsequent unrest within the hospital premises.
According to the details available, the deceased, identified as Khajida, had initially been taken to a local health facility after her condition deteriorated.
As per her family members, she was later referred to GMC Anantnag for specialized treatment. However, they alleged that despite repeated requests, she was not attended to by a cardiologist in the emergency ward.
“The doctors at the local hospital had told us that a cardiologist would examine her at GMC Anantnag, but despite our repeated pleas, no such consultation was provided in time,” a family member told reporters. “Had she been seen promptly, her life could have been saved,” they added, blaming delays in critical care for her death.
The allegations sparked protests by the grieving relatives and locals within the hospital premises. The situation soon escalated, with a group of individuals resorting to vandalism and physically assaulting on-duty medical staff, leading to damage to hospital property and injuries among healthcare workers.
Hospital authorities confirmed the incident, stating that the matter has been taken seriously. “A group of individuals created a disturbance inside GMC Anantnag, resulting in damage to infrastructure and injuries to staff members,” an official said.
Police have registered an FIR (No. 118) under relevant sections of law and launched an investigation into the incident. “Four persons have been arrested so far and efforts are underway to identify others involved. The investigation will also look into the sequence of events that led to the unrest,” officials added.
Meanwhile, Principal of GMC Anantnag, Dr. Rukhsana Najeeb, strongly condemned the assault on hospital staff and destruction of public property. She stressed that violence against healthcare professionals cannot be justified under any circumstances.
“Immediately after the allegations surfaced, we constituted an internal inquiry committee to examine the claims of negligence. However, no medical negligence was found in the preliminary findings,” Dr. Rukhsana said.
“Resorting to violence without substantiated facts is deeply unfortunate. We expect strict action against those involved to prevent such incidents in the future,” she added.
Meanwhile the All India Medical Students Association (AIMSA) has strongly condemned the assault on a junior doctor at Government Medical College Anantnag during the evening hours of April 24.
AIMSA in a statement said that Dr. Ainul Huda was attacked by members of a patient party after he examined a patient whose vitals were stated to be non-recordable.
AIMSA Vice President Dr Mohammad Momin Khan denounced the incident and stated that violence against doctors is unacceptable under any circumstances. He urged the administration to ensure the safety and security of healthcare workers and demanded strict action against those responsible.
He further stated that doctors working under stressful emergency conditions should be supported, not targeted and called for stronger protection measures in hospitals across the region.
He thanked SSP Anantnag for registering FIR in this case and hoped that strict action will be taken in this regard—(KNO)
