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A doctor specialising in oncology was critically injured on Wednesday after being stabbed at Kalaignar Centenary Super Speciality Hospital (KCSSH) in Guindy, Chennai. The attack, allegedly carried out by a relative of a patient, has sparked strong reactions and protests from medical professionals over safety and staffing conditions in government hospitals.
Dr Balaji Jagannath was on duty in the hospital’s oncology department when he was approached by the accused, Vignesh, 26, of Perungalathur. According to local police, Vignesh and three friends entered the hospital around 10.30 am to meet Vignesh’s mother, who is undergoing cancer treatment. Once inside, the group allegedly engaged in a heated dispute with Dr Jagannath over the woman’s deteriorating condition, with Vignesh accusing the doctor of negligence.
According to the police, Vignesh allegedly drew a kitchen knife and attacked Dr Jagannath, stabbing him in the neck and also inflicting injuries to his head and upper body. Onlookers quickly intervened and escorted the doctor to the ICU, where he remains in critical condition.
Hospital staff, along with bystanders, apprehended the accused, who is now in police custody along with four others detained for further inquiry, authorities said.
The incident has drawn immediate attention from government officials and healthcare advocates. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin called the attack “shocking” and assured that “necessary treatment” would be provided to the injured doctor. He also ordered a “detailed inquiry” into the circumstances surrounding the incident and emphasised the government’s duty to protect medical professionals. “The selfless work of our government doctors is immeasurable, and it is our duty to ensure their safety during this work,” Stalin wrote, promising future measures to prevent similar occurrences.
However, doctors’ bodies are demanding immediate action from the state government to address critical staffing shortages, a key factor leading to distress in government hospitals. As of October 2024, approximately 30% of sanctioned doctor positions remain unfilled – about 5,000 vacancies out of 18,000 sanctioned posts. This shortage is anticipated to worsen between December 2024 and February 2025, with nearly 1,000 doctors expected to leave for postgraduate studies.
A senior doctor attached to a prominent government hospital in Chennai told The Indian Express that a key reason for the patient aggression is a severely understaffed health system in the state. “Patients and bystanders who come here are already in distress. The workload makes doctors helpless, failing a system that is supposed to be informed and coordinated. If the government appoints an adequate number of doctors, things will improve significantly,” the senior government doctor said, requesting anonymity.
The Service and PG Doctors Association condemned the attack, calling it an “unprecedented assault” and announcing a temporary strike among doctors at KCSSH, halting non-emergency services in protest.
According to the hospital, Dr Jagannath is undergoing surgery. KCSSH and all major state-run hospitals in Chennai are guarded by private security internally and patrolled by police externally. “The government should not ignore the strain placed on healthcare facilities and medical professionals in the state as the demand for medical services outpaces available resources,” said a doctor from KCSSH.
The incident also triggered debates and anger among senior health professionals. Upset over the stabbing incident, a government doctor in Chennai, Dr Sai Lakshmikanth Bharathi, wrote on social media stating that “the bureaucracy is killing the department, which is a jewel in any government for that matter. Revive the health department. Relieve us from the clutches of useless IAS officers who are pushing privatisation relentlessly”.
He wrote that the government should not treat medical colleges like PHCs. “There should be a proper referral system in place. Every GMC OPD (outpatient) sees a minimum of 200 patients on average. With the existing manpower shortage, it’s highly impossible to give 100% care to all the patients. Either increase the manpower or restrict OP numbers according to the number of doctors available. Each doctor can see a maximum of 30 patients per day. Or make tertiary care centers like GMCs referral centers. If the manpower shortage is not addressed, this kind of incident will only increase. Enough is enough,” he wrote, adding that the health department is crumbling under unimaginable expectations with unbelievably low manpower. “Immediate intervention is needed to solve the issue,” he wrote, tagging the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister in his post.
Talking to the media, deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin said the government will ensure such incidents are not repeated, and promised a detailed investigation into the incident. Health minister Ma Subramanian ruled out reports of doctor shortage and called it false news spread by certain groups. He said the department will fill 3,505 vacancies for doctors by February and that the department will also recruit 1,271 nurses this week.
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