TN doctors protest over assault on Chennai oncologist; Medical services not affected, says official
Chennai (PTI): Doctors across Tamil Nadu staged a protest on Thursday condemning the brutal attack on a government oncologist at a hospital here, and also demanded safety for medical professionals.
The strike by the members of the Indian Medical Association and Tamil Nadu Government Doctors Association has not affected the medical services to the patients at the government facility, an official said and claimed that the senior oncologist Balaji, assaulted by the son of a patient in the outpatient room on Wednesday, was responding well to treatment.
State Health Minister Ma Subramanian visited Balaji Jegannathan, associate professor, medical oncology, Kalaignar Centenary Super Specialty Hospital (KCSSH), Guindy, here, earlier in the day and enquired about his health condition.
“There has been good progress in Dr Balaji's health. His vitals are good without any support. He had breakfast in the morning. He spoke to the Minister of Health saying he is doing well and sought to be shifted to ward,” KCSSH director Dr L Parthasarathy said.
When reporters asked about Wednesday’s violent attack on hospital premises, he replied, “one is bound to be emotionally upset if diagnosed with cancer. The patient was admitted after the doctors explained about the treatment options to her.”
On whether the strike affected the medical services to the patients, he said that there were sufficient numbers of doctors to attend to about 500 to 600 inpatients and those in ICU at KCSSH.
“I hope the issue will be resolved amicably soon,” Parthasarathy added.
The 1,000 bedded Kalaignar Centenary Super Speciality Hospital, where the crime occurred, was inaugurated a year ago. In addition to this facility, the National Centre of Aging (NCA), and the King Institute are functioning on the sprawling campus near the Guindy railway station.
“There's an outpost near the NCA. Police officials said they would establish outposts in all the hospitals lacking such facility," the director said.
The protest was announced to create awareness among the public and not intended to affect the patients. All medicare facilities were being provided to the patients without any let up, he added.
Subramanian later informed that Dr Balaji was recovering well and would be shifted to the ward today after tests.
Speaking to reporters after visiting the recuperating doctor, the Minister said all government medical colleges, district headquarters hospitals and taluk hospitals would provide (temporary) identity tags to the patients’ attendants.
“The four-colour tag system for patients’ attendants was introduced at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in early October and it will be expanded to other government facilities,” the Minister said.
He said the police have registered cases under seven sections of the BNS (Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita) including an attempt to murder on the attacker Vignesh, who was caught by the hospital staff and public and handed over to the police.
The assailant was allegedly frustrated over the treatment given to his mother who was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in an advanced stage.
“I am stable. They have checked my pacemaker. I am being given antibiotics for the sutures (to seven stab injuries),” Dr Balaji said.
When the Health Minister asked him “How are you feeling Dr Balaji,” immediately he replied, “I am recovering well” and demonstrated by eating breakfast.
Balaji was stated to have expressed his desire to continue his service to the patients at KCSSH, inspite of the shocking attack on him.
According to the Dean of RGGGH Dr E Therani Rajan, the hospital has not compromised its OPD services on account of the strike.
“Some doctors wanted to protest against the stabbing incident. We did not interfere. Otherwise everything is going on smoothly,” he said.
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Rajnath to top commanders: Outmaneuver adversaries with strategic surprise
Jaipur/New Delhi (PTI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday directed the top military commanders of the three services to integrate an "element of surprise" into modern warfare to outmaneuver India's adversaries and bolster strategic posture.
In his address at the joint commanders conference in Jaipur, Singh also described the Operation Sindoor as a testament to the "swift, precise, and joint response" of the Indian armed forces to safeguard national interests and called upon the military to remain ready to deal with any security challenges.
In their two-day deliberations, the commanders carried out a comprehensive review of the combat preparedness of the military in the wake of the evolving regional security situation.
Operation Sindoor was a demonstration of India's growing capabilities and a symbol of the nation's collective resolve and new military ethos, Singh said, a day after the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.
He also unveiled a 'Joint Doctrine for Integrated Communication Architecture' that is aimed at strengthening doctrinal clarity, interoperability and integrated communications across the armed forces in future multidomain operations.
The joint commanders' conference, themed 'Military Capability in New Domains', brought together the top leadership of the defence ministry and the three services to deliberate on emerging security challenges and future readiness.
Comprehensive deliberations were held on future warfare, multidomain operations, technological transformation and joint capability development.
The conference witnessed extensive discussions on cognitive warfare, cyber resilience against evolving quantum and AI-enabled threats, military capability development in emerging domains, indigenous innovation and AI-enabled warfighting concepts.
It was attended by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, Chief of the Army Staff Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh among others.
In his remarks, Singh asked the commanders to remain "future-ready" by learning from the operation as well as the current global security landscape.
He underscored the need to strengthen capabilities in artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, data analytics and secure communication networks to stay prepared in the rapidly evolving geopolitical security scenario. He emphasised that future conflicts will increasingly be shaped by hybrid threats, information dominance and operations conducted simultaneously across cyber, space, electromagnetic and cognitive domains, according to an official readout.
Highlighting the transformative impact of emerging technologies, Singh stressed on the importance of ensuring integrated national preparedness across all spectrums of conflict, it said.
Singh's remarks at the conference came a day after the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.
The defence minister appreciated the progress achieved in enhancing jointness, integration and technological adoption across the three services, the readout noted.
Singh said that jointness constitutes a pivotal dimension within the transformative changes sweeping across the global defence sector.
"Future wars will not be won solely through weaponry, but through innovative thinking and enhanced synergy," he said.
The defence minister exhorted the commanders to cultivate the "element of surprise" to remain unpredictable to the nation's adversaries and secure a strategic edge in any given situation.
He, however, urged them to remain vigilant of the element of surprise of the enemy and always stay two steps ahead.
Singh also reiterated the Narendra Modi government's commitment to enhancing the capabilities of the defence forces through state-of-the-art weapons and platforms. He added that special focus is being laid on research in niche domains.
During the conference, he released a documentary film on Operation Sindoor.
The film reaffirms the nation's and defence forces' commitment to operational preparedness and decisive national response capabilities.
Demonstrations of advanced systems and platforms developed for intelligence fusion, operational planning and information management were also showcased during the conference reflecting growing integration of cutting-edge technologies into joint operational structures, according to the defence ministry.
The discussions will contribute significantly towards shaping India's future military transformation and integrated operational preparedness, it said.
