Doctor assaulted during night duty at Nawanshahr health centre
A disturbing incident occurred at the Community Health Centre (CHC) in Mukandpur, Nawanshahr, where Dr Simal was assaulted during his night duty on Friday. The attacker, identified as Manish Kumar, was confronted by the doctor when he noticed a car parked near the CHC around 11 pm. Kumar falsely claimed to be visiting a patient, but when the doctor checked, no such patient existed.
The situation escalated when Manish abused and physically attacked Dr Simal, leaving him with facial bruises. The accused also broke the doctor’s phone before fleeing. Manish, who recently returned from Hong Kong, has been arrested, and the police are investigating the motive behind his presence at the CHC that night.
This incident has highlighted the absence of security personnel at the health centre, a concern echoed by the women staff who also work night shifts and fear for their safety. Civil Surgeon Nawanshahr, Dr Jaspreet Kaur, has raised concerns with local authorities, demanding the immediate deployment of security guards at health centres to protect the medical staff on duty.
This is not an isolated case. A similar incident occurred a month ago at the district hospital in Nawanshahr, where intoxicated individuals abused and assaulted staff members, further exposing the dire need for security measures in these facilities.
The Punjab Civil Medical Services (PCMS) association has strongly condemned the repeated assaults on doctors and is calling for immediate action to ensure their safety during duty hours.
