Mumbai: 27-Year-Old Doctor Allegedly Assaulted By Deceased Patient’s Relatives At Rajawadi Hospital After Nasogastric Tube Dispute

Mumbai: A 27-year-old resident doctor at Rajawadi Hospital was allegedly assaulted by a deceased patient’s relative on Thursday. According to the police, the patient was struggling to breathe when the doctor suggested inserting a nasogastric tube, which some family members resisted, leading to a scuffle.

Dr Dinesh Gini Gandhi, the resident doctor, registered the First Information Report (FIR), on Thursday late at night. According to him, Farooq Ibrahim Shaikh, 54, was admitted to the hospital on May 16 for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and kidney injury. ARDS, a life-threatening lung injury, makes breathing difficult for patients, preventing oxygen from entering the body. On July 21, Shaikh’s condition worsened as he began facing breathing problems.

On July 25, Dr. Gandhi, along with two other doctors, informed Shaikh’s family that the patient needed a nasogastric tube to receive water and food. Shaikh, who was using a non-invasive ventilation (NIV) mask for oxygen delivery, had to remove the mask every time he needed water or food, which lowered the oxygen levels in his lungs. Dr. Gandhi said the family continued to refuse the nasogastric tube.

Later that day, Shaikh’s condition became critical, prompting the doctors to move him to a ventilator. His blood pressure started to drop, and despite an injection to stabilize it, his blood pressure levels fell to zero.

After obtaining the family’s consent, the doctors inserted a central venous catheter in Shaikh’s neck and performed chest compressions. However, these efforts were unsuccessful, and Shaikh was shortly declared dead, Dr. Gandhi stated.

Upon hearing the news, Shaikh’s family blamed Dr. Gandhi for Shaikh’s death, accusing him of causing it by inserting the nasogastric tube. In the ensuing altercation, Shaikh’s son, Guddu Shaikh, and a minor girl allegedly assaulted Dr. Gandhi. The girl reportedly threw a sharp object at Dr. Gandhi’s head, causing an injury that required him to be admitted to the ward for treatment.

The Tilak Nagar police reached the spot and recorded statements from Dr. Gandhi, the other doctors, and the families of other patients who witnessed the assault. Meanwhile, the body of the deceased was handed over to the family for the final rites. “The family is grieving, so we have not made any arrests so far. Soon, the son will be summoned to record his statement. The condition of the doctor is stable for now,” a police official said.

Guddu Shaikh and the minor girl have been booked by the police under sections 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 132 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his or her duty), 121(1) (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), among others, of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. Dr Gandhi is also doing his Doctor of Medicine (MD), a three-year postgraduate degree from KEM Hospital.

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