By GO Correspondent

A 23 year old Doctor on duty, was stabbed by her patient in Kerala. We need better arrangements and protocols to SAVE THE SAVIOUR. Doctors around the country stand up in support and demand justice. The health care professionals in the state of Goa are frequently confronted by alcoholic and violent patients and there is a need to step up the protection for doctors and nurses in the state of Goa to prevent such incidents from taking place. In a shocking and unfortunate incident, a 23-YEAR-OLD doctor was stabbed to death on the 9th of May, at a government hospital in the Kollam district in Kerala, by a 42-yearold school teacher, who was brought to the hospital by police for treatment of an injury. The assailant, 42-year-old S Sandeep was under the influence of alcohol, he became violent, went berserk, and stabbed Dr. Vandana Das multiple times with scissors after he was taken into a room to dress his wound. He also stabbed several people, including a policeman. Even after the doctor collapsed, he continued to stab her. The IMA stated that around 200 such attacks have been reported in Kerala alone in the last three years. Soon after the incident, government doctors boycotted work and took to the streets across the state demanding justice for Vandana. They also demanded action from the government to ensure the safety of healthcare professionals. The Kerala Government Medical Officers Association and Indian Medical Association also announced their support. Dr. Vandana Das hailed from Manjoor town in Kottayam district. She was the only daughter of businessman K G Mohandas and Vasanthakumari. She did her MBBS from Azeezia Institute of Medical Sciences, Kollam. She was cremated on Thursday. Vandana’s death drew sharp reactions from the Kerala High Court as well, which said such an incident could erode faith placed in the system by young doctors. “The worst has happened. This is what we were scared of. This is the worst nightmare ever. How can we blame the doctors for going on strike now?” “If you cannot protect doctors, shut down your hospitals. It is a complete failure of the system,” stated the Kerala High Court. The Goan Observer observes that there has to be a protocol in place to be followed by the police to prevent doctors and nurses from being exposed to violent patients under the influence of Alcohol. Such incidents must be prevented. This is a common scenario faced by health care workers in the state of Goa.