Doctors’ strike brings Arunachal’s TRIHMS to halt after attack on physicians

The Tomo Riba Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (TRIHMS), the only medical college in Arunachal Pradesh, wore a deserted look on September 11 as doctors went on strike following a violent attack on two of their colleagues inside the hospital premises. 

Outpatient Departments (OPDs) remained closed, and the normally busy campus appeared empty, with patients forced to return without treatment.

Panic spread through the hospital after unidentified assailants stormed into the Child and ENT wards on two consecutive days and attacked doctors on duty. 

One of the attackers was reportedly an attendant of a patient and was armed with a knife. Two doctors—a woman and a man—were injured in the incidents.

Police later confirmed that one person has been arrested in connection with the assaults. Investigations are ongoing to trace other culprits.

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Addressing the protesting doctors, TRIHMS Director Dr. Moji Jini condemned the attacks and urged restraint while highlighting the challenges faced by the institution. “We are already short-staffed. TRIHMS is overburdened with patients coming from all 26 districts of the state. We also face an acute shortage of nurses. Despite repeated appeals, the state government has not fulfilled our recruitment demands,” he said.

Dr. Jini also urged the medical fraternity to keep the media away from the internal controversies of the college while maintaining solidarity in demanding safety and security at the workplace.

The strike has left hundreds of patients without medical care, creating a health crisis in the capital region where TRIHMS serves as the primary referral hospital. 

The protesting doctors have demanded the immediate arrest of all those involved in the attack and strict security measures to ensure the safety of medical professionals.

Hospital authorities have appealed to the state government to step in urgently to resolve the crisis, as the strike continues to cripple healthcare services in the only medical college of the state.