Thane Hospital Doctors Assault Arrest Corporator Cops Custody Medical Clearance

Kalyan Dombivli corporator Ramesh Mhatre, who was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly assaulting the doctors and nurses at Dombivli’s Shastri Nagar Hospital, was taken to a Thane hospital shortly after his arrest after he complained of chest pain. The police have now said that they cannot take the Shiv Sena corporator’s custody and carry out legal proceedings without obtaining the necessary clearance from the Thane hospital where he has been admitted.

The standard procedure, a police official explained, requires a medical evaluation of any individual being taken into custody to ensure the person is fit to be detained, and avoid any future allegations of mistreatment.

The officer said, “Mhatre complained of chest pain and kidney related issues due to which he was admitted to the hospital. Now it is up to the hospital to give his medical records and a go ahead.”

The Indian Express reached out to the civil surgeon of the Thane Civil Hospital, but did not receive any answer to the inquiries.

The police have so far arrested four persons in connection with the Thane doctors’ assault case and issued notice to another accused.

As Mhatre remains in the hospital, the Monsoon Session of the Assembly, where the issue was raised, ends on Friday, July 10.

Meanwhile, the resident doctors and nurses across Maharashtra held a black ribbon protest on Thursday to condemn the alleged assault on healthcare workers at the KDMC Shastri Nagar Hospital in Kalyan, while also carrying on with their duties.

Nurses, who were initially scheduled to begin their protest from July 10, also joined the statewide demonstration in solidarity with the resident doctors. At Mumbai’s Topiwala National Medical College and B.Y.L. Nair Charitable Hospital, resident doctors are seen wearing black ribbons during duty hours.

In a statement, Nair Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) said that the resident doctors from clinical, para-clinical and pre-clinical departments participated in the protest while ensuring that outpatient departments, emergency services, inpatient care, operation theatres and all essential hospital services functioned normally.

The association said, “The protest is intended to strongly condemn violence against healthcare workers while reiterating that doctors, nurses and other medical staff have the fundamental right to work in a safe and secure environment. We demand strict legal action against those responsible for the assault, enhanced security measures in healthcare institutions across the state and the implementation of a zero-tolerance policy towards violence against healthcare workers.”