Patient assaults nurse in Ruia hospital; causes head injury

Tirupati: In a shocking yet frightening incident, a nurse working at S V R Ruia Government General Hospital in Tirupati was assaulted by a patient on Sunday night, leading to outrage among the hospital staff.

The unfortunate incident took place when the patient, Durga Prasad from Madanapalle, had been admitted four days earlier after a suicide attempt. Following treatment for poisoning, he became agitated — a known side effect of his medication. In his distress, he struck nurse Yasoda on her head with a saline stand, according to sources.

Security personnel quickly came to her rescue and restrained the patient. They moved him to another room while nurse Yasoda received eight sutures for her injury. She is currently admitted in the hospital and has been under medical care.

Immediately after knowing about the incident, Ruia hospital Superintendent Dr G Ravi Prabhu visited the ward to assess the situation. Although the West Police were initially notified, hospital authorities chose not to file a formal complaint, attributing the incident to the patient's mental state.

However, some staff members have expressed their concern and frustration, noting that similar incidents have been occurring frequently in the hospital without any action being taken. They even alleged that the hospital authorities were trying to tone down the incident by not revealing the facts about the attack.

Expressing solidarity to their colleague Yasoda who was assaulted by a patient, the nursing staff at Ruia hospital staged a protest on Monday. They demanded stringent action on those involved in assaults on healthcare workers. They also sought to reduce their workload by filling all vacancies. The nurses asked the hospital authorities to sanction paid leave for the nurse who was

injured on duty.