Outraged by abuse and assault on them by relatives of COVID victims, the Karnataka Association of Resident Doctors (KARD) on July 23 sought action against offenders and protection to discharge their duty without fearing for their lives.

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"The state government should take stringent action against relatives of COVID patients or victims for abusing and attacking us, nurses and paramedics violently in the event of a death due to the infection," KARD President Dayanand Sagar said. Condemning the abuse and assault on resident doctors and nurses on duty at the state-run K.C. General Hospital in the city, as their COVID victim's body could not be handed over without completing formalities, Sagar said the association members would protest from July 24 in all state-run and private hospitals across the state by wearing black bands.

Relatives of a woman who posthumously tested positive assaulted a resident doctor and a nurse for not handing over her body without conducting autopsy and completing formalities. Similarly, relatives of a patient who died of the infection while under treatment at the state-run hospital at Belgavi, assaulted doctors and nurses and set an ambulance on fire, alleging medical negligence. "Violence on doctors and healthcare workers in many hospitals endangers our safety and damage to public property," said Sagar.

The association sought arrest and legal action against culprits involved in the attack on doctors in Bengaluru, Belagavi and Bidar hospitals. "The state government should ensure safety protocols in all hospitals and COVID care centres with security and police personnel," added Sagar.