Recently, the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) sent a letter to the Chief Minister to look into this particular matter. The World Health Organisation (WHO) also cited figures on violence against doctors indicating that it was a global issue.

This is a sad commentary on the patient-doctor relationship. The increasing chasm has to be filled through dialogue and, at the grassroots level, medical students must be extensively counselled on how to handle the patient’s family. Even in this ‘instant’ age, doctors must give enough time to answer queries and quell the fears of the family.

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Having said that, people need to have patience and not automatically jump to the conclusion that there has been negligence if a relative passes away. Heat of the moment cannot be an excuse for violence. If the family feels hard done by, they have recourse to other methods like consumer courts. Beating up medical professionals is reprehensible and in fact, chips away at the very base of a patient-doctor equation, which is that of trust.