Bihar Doctors Warn of Unreported Abuse in Hospitals, Demand Protection and Swift Action on Assaults

On the eve of National Doctors' Day, observed every year on July 1, doctors in Bihar are using the occasion to say something other than thank you. They are talking about being abused, threatened and attacked at work, in government and private facilities alike.

The doctors who spoke say verbal abuse, threats and physical assaults are frequent, and that most incidents never get reported. The pressure is greatest in emergency wards, district hospitals and other high-stress settings. There is also no state-specific data on how often it happens, which makes the scale of the problem hard to measure.

Dr Ajay Kumar, a member of the Indian Medical Association's national action committee, pointed to pan-India estimates suggesting that most doctors face abuse at some point in their careers, both physical and verbal. For Bihar, he conceded there are no figures. But he said he was sure that not a single day passes without a doctor somewhere in the state facing some kind of abuse.

He recalled the killing of Dr Bhudoe Singh in Gopalganj, allegedly by jail inmates, which he said deeply shook the medical community. That case, in his account, led to the protection act for doctors. Yet he said not a single chargesheet has been filed in a case of assault on a doctor since. He also cited another episode in which a civil surgeon was stabbed with a sharp-edged weapon after a group entered his residence following a snakebite death, a sign that doctors are vulnerable outside hospital walls too.

Dr Ashok Kumar, chairperson of the in-service doctors' wing, said verbal abuse has become routine. In his words, hardly any doctor has gone through service without facing some form of it. Many stay quiet, he said, to protect their dignity and avoid confrontation.

He also described how blame tends to land on doctors when a patient dies or develops complications, even when patients arrived late, came with inadequate medical history, were critically ill on admission, or when resources were short.

Doctors observed a generational shift as well. Younger medical professionals are increasingly unwilling to endure abuse silently. That could further strain relations between doctors and patients, they warned, unless security arrangements and grievance redressal systems improve.

Their message for July 1 is specific. They say they are not asking for symbolic appreciation but for a safer workplace, prompt action in assault cases and greater public awareness. From the public, they said, they expect respect and dignity. The question to watch is whether any assault case reaches a chargesheet.