Doctors across Tamil Nadu staged protests on Thursday condemning a violent assault on a government oncologist in Chennai and demanding better security for medical professionals.
On Wednesday, Dr. Balaji Jagannath, an oncologist, was allegedly “stabbed at least seven times” at the Kalaignar Centenary Hospital by the son of a patient, identified as Vigneswaran. The attack allegedly stemmed from grievances related to the treatment of Vigneswaran’s mother.
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Balaji, who was admitted following the incident, is now stable and recovering, according to L. Parthasarathy, the hospital’s director. “Dr. Balaji is out of danger, stable, and interacted with family members this morning. The Chief Minister also spoke to him, and Dr. Balaji expressed confidence in his recovery,” Parthasarathy said, as reported by ANI.
In the wake of the incident, the state government has reinforced security at the hospital. Parthasarathy mentioned that police outposts were established last night, with 60 officers now stationed to support hospital safety.
Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian, who visited the victim, confirmed the arrest of the accused. “Vignesh, who was involved in the incident, was caught by hospital security and produced to the police, and he has been booked under Section 7,” he said, thanking medical staff and union representatives for their cooperation.
“We had discussions with doctors’ unions and associations yesterday. We shared our disappointment with each other over the incident. They are also satisfied with the government’s measures. In that way, all unions have cooperated well, and there are no major disturbances to health and medical facilities in Tamil Nadu,” Subramanian added.