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Friday, October 14, 2011

Sikkim doctor assaulted at RIMS in Manipur, colleagues go on protest strike

ARGUING THAT NON-LOCAL STATUS MAKES THEM SOFT TARGETS, DOCS WANT GOVT TO RELOCATE MD AND MS STUDENTS TO INSTITUTES ELSEWHERE
GANGTOK, 13 Oct: A government doctor from Sikkim pursuing post graduate specialization in paediatrics at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences [RIMS] at Imphal, Manipur, was assaulted Wednesday evening by the father of a child suffering from cancer [last stage] when the child passed away while under his care.
The assault has left the Sikkim students at the institute rattled and fearful of their security as they perceive their non-local status in Manipur as making them soft targets for such violence. There are 56 students from Sikkim - undergraduates, postgraduates and nursing - at RIMS, all of whom went on a protest strike soon after the incident and plan to continue their protest till Friday morning.
They have also contacted the Chief Minister’s Office, the Health Minister, Secretary and other concerned agencies in Sikkim and while speaking to NOW! over the phone, informed that the Sikkim authorities got in touch with the RIMS management immediately.
The Sikkim doctors at RIMS have strongly condemned the assault and stress that this has brought into question the safety of doctors from Sikkim at the institute.
The doctors in question, Dr Pravin Gurung, was the duty doctor in the ward when the child passed away, they inform, and being a non-local was taken as a soft target and assaulted by the child’s father.
An FIR was lodged against the same evening and the RIMS management has assured to provide full security to doctors and ensure that such incidents do not repeat in the future, it is learnt.
“In response, our government has also taken timely, instant, sharp and active initiatives and we thank the Sikkim government for it,” the doctors convey.
The Sikkim doctors are RIMS are however not reassured yet about their security, pointing out that the situation in Manipur is so disturbed that even the locals there are frequently victims of violence themselves. Given such a situation, the latest assault has left the Sikkim students at RIMS a worried lot.
They have requested the State government to reshuffle the Sikkim doctors at RIMS pursuing MD /MS courses to institutes in other states.
They also complain that no follow-up is invested after they are sent to RIMS. “We are sent here to do our post-graduation and then everyone forgets us. Not a single visit has been made to RIMS by anyone of significance from our State in the past couple of years.  We sincerely hope that our government will take steps to ensure our safety here,” he state.

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