Resident doctors from AIIMS and Safdarjung, two of the Capital’s premier government hospitals, have separately written to President Droupadi Murmu expressing concern over the hospitalisation of activist Sonam Wangchuk and the reported police action against protesters at Jantar Mantar on Monday.
Event Context
The AIIMS RDA had written a similar letter seeking an independent inquiry into both, the events at Jantar Mantar and the circumstances surrounding Wangchuk’s hospitalisation.
The AIIMS RDA, seen by HT, in their representation said they were concerned by reports that Wangchuk had not been allowed to leave the hospital despite allegedly expressing a desire to seek Leave Against Medical Advice (LAMA).
“The principle of informed consent and a competent patient’s right to refuse or discontinue treatment are fundamental ethical and legal principles of medical practice. Any departure from these principles should be subject to due legal process and transparent justification,” the letter said.
On Tuesday, the Delhi High Court allowed Wangchuk’s transfer from Safdarjung Hospital to a private facility after hearing a plea filed by his wife.
The association also referred to reports and videos from Jantar Mantar, saying, “Other videos circulating publicly appear to depict security personnel engaging in threatening behaviour towards a respected professor and students from Lady Hardinge Medical College. These reports warrant an impartial and transparent examination.”
On the reported use of force against protesters, the AIIMS RDA wrote, “The use of excessive force against peaceful demonstrators, if established, risks eroding public trust in democratic institutions.”
Seeking intervention, the AIIMS doctors requested that an “independent, impartial, and time-bound inquiry” be conducted into the events at Jantar Mantar and that allegations of excessive force or misconduct by law enforcement personnel be thoroughly investigated.
“As an apolitical association, we remain independent of all political affiliations. We believe every individual has the democratic right to peaceful protest,” the AIIMS RDA said.
A day earlier, the letter written by Safdurjung RDA said, “Reports and publicly available visuals regarding his hospitalisation at our institution, indicating extraordinary security arrangements – including restricted access to hospital areas, sealing off portions of the hospital, deployment of extensive security personnel across multiple floors, and restrictions on routine hospital operations – have generated widespread concern. If such measures resulted in the disruption of patient care, impeded access to healthcare services, or created an environment in which a hospital appeared to function as an extension of law enforcement rather than a place of healing, the matter warrants independent examination.”
The letter, seen by HT, added, “We are equally concerned by reports surrounding the events at Jantar Mantar, where peaceful demonstrators were reportedly subjected to the use of force. Such incidents, if established, risk eroding public confidence in constitutional institutions and creating an atmosphere of fear among citizens, including members of the medical fraternity, who seek only to exercise their democratic rights.”
The RDA representation added, “Hospitals are institutions of healing and must not be perceived as places of detention except where such restriction is expressly authorised by law and carried out in accordance with due process.”
Team Analysis
The Resident Doctors’ Associations (RDAs) of AIIMS sent its letter on Tuesday, while VMMC-Safdarjung Hospital wrote to the President on Monday.
