Authorities at the Government Medical College Hospital in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram were forced to suspend a nursing assistant after a video clip that showed him physically harming an elderly patient went viral on social media.
The video, shot on a cell phone by an unidentified person in the orthopaedic ward at the hospital, shows nursing assistant R Sunilkumar clasping an aged man's left palm and twisting his fingers.
The attendant appears aggressive but cautious due to the presence of other patients and bystanders.
The patient later identified as Vasu, a native of Punalur in Kollam district is heard crying out at the sudden pain even as the attendant continues twisting his fingers. Sunilkumar is also seen threatening to hit the aged man before he leaves.
Dr M S Sharmad, superintendent of the MCH, suspended Sunilkumar after a preliminary internal investigation found him guilty.
Minister for Health K K Shailaja who took note of the visuals shared on social media had directed the hospital authorities to initiate action on the matter.
"The government is trying to make hospitals more patient-friendly. There is no place in the department for those who act against this objective," the minister said in an official statement.
Vasu had visited the hospital on March 19, for treatment of a bone ailment and was discharged on March 23. Sources in the MCH said his follow-up treatment would be provided free of cost.
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