Activist Sonam Wangchuk (PTI photo)
NEW DELHI: The Resident Doctors’ Association (RDA) of Safdarjung Hospital on Tuesday wrote to President Droupadi Murmu, urging her to protect patients’ rights after reports claimed that climate activist and educationist Sonam Wangchuk was not allowed to take Leave Against Medical Advice (LAMA) despite being a “competent patient.”The doctors’ body said that if the reports were true, they raised serious concerns about informed consent, personal liberty and constitutional rights.The association said hospitals should remain places of treatment and care, not detention, unless restrictions are authorised by law and follow due legal process.In its representation, the RDA sought the President’s intervention to uphold constitutional rights, medical ethics, patient autonomy and the independence of public healthcare institutions. It also demanded an independent inquiry into the events at Jantar Mantar, where Wangchuk and his supporters were protesting before he was shifted to Safdarjung Hospital.The association also expressed “deep concern” over Wangchuk’s continued stay at the hospital.”While Wangchuk’s medical condition and the necessity of his continued hospitalisation remain matters of independent clinical judgment, every individual admitted to a hospital is, first and foremost, entitled to be treated as a patient with dignity, compassion, and in accordance with established medical ethics and the Constitution of India,” the representation said. The doctors’ body further raised concerns over the “extraordinary security arrangements” at Safdarjung Hospital during Wangchuk’s stay.”If such measures resulted in the disruption of patient care… the matter warrants independent examination,” it said.”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,” it added.The association urged that public hospitals remain dedicated solely to healthcare.Meanwhile, the Resident Doctors’ Association of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, also wrote to President Murmu on Tuesday, seeking an independent, impartial and time-bound inquiry into the events that unfolded during Monday’s protest at Jantar Mantar.The AIIMS RDA also questioned reports that Wangchuk was not allowed to leave Safdarjung Hospital despite seeking Leave Against Medical Advice (LAMA), saying that if the claims were accurate, they raised serious questions about patients’ rights and autonomy.In its letter dated July 20, the association said, “Reports indicating the use of lathi charge, tear gas, and physical force against a large number of peaceful protesters, including students, doctors and young citizens, are deeply unsettling.””While certain aspects of the incident remain contested, videos and eyewitness accounts available in the public domain have raised serious questions regarding the manner in which peaceful democratic dissent was handled,” it said.The AIIMS doctors also raised concerns over videos allegedly showing police personnel with their faces and name badges covered.
