New Delhi: Resident doctors at Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital have written to President Droupadi Murmu seeking protection of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk’s right to leave against medical advice along with an independent inquiry into his continued hospitalisation and reports of police action against protesters at Jantar Mantar on Monday.
The Resident Doctors’ Association (RDA) of Vardhman Mahavir Medical College (VMMC) and Safdarjung Hospital expressed its concerns over patient autonomy, medical ethics, institutional independence and the functioning of public healthcare institutions in the representation on Tuesday.
Leave Against Medical Advice (LAMA) is a provision that allows a competent patient to leave a hospital despite doctors advising continued treatment, after acknowledging and accepting the medical risks involved.
“While the medical condition of Mr Sonam Wangchuk and the necessity of his continued hospitalisation remain matters of independent clinical judgment, every individual admitted to a hospital is, first and foremost, entitled to be treated as a patient-with dignity, compassion, and in accordance with established medical ethics and the Constitution of India,” the doctor’s body said.
It added that any restriction on a patient’s liberty must be lawful, proportionate and transparent, without compromising patient rights, doctors’ professional independence or the functioning of the hospital.
“This raises broader questions about the relationship between patient rights, clinical decision-making and public institutions,” Dr Ayush Raj, General Secretary of the Safdarjung Hospital RDA, told ThePrint.
“Our intention is to ensure that public confidence in government hospitals remains intact and that medical professionals can continue to make decisions based solely on clinical judgment, in keeping with established ethical and legal principles,” Raj added.
The Safdarjung Hospital representation came a day after the AIIMS New Delhi RDA wrote to the President seeking an independent inquiry into the Jantar Mantar events and urging that Wangchuk’s patient rights and medical ethics be upheld.
Wangchuk, the Ladakh-based educationist and climate activist, has been on an indefinite hunger strike since 28 June in support of the Cockroach Janta Party-led protest over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination and student deaths linked to the controversy.
On 18 July, the 21st day of his fast, Delhi Police shifted him to Safdarjung Hospital after the Delhi High Court directed that his health be monitored and he be provided urgent medical care following doctors’ advice.
His wife, Gitanjali Angmo, subsequently approached the Delhi High Court, alleging that he was being illegally confined and seeking permission to shift him to a private hospital of the family’s choice.
On 19 July, Justice Mini Pushkarna declined to grant interim relief, holding that the government’s decision to hospitalise Wangchuk was justified given his deteriorating condition and his refusal to voluntarily seek medical treatment.
The doctors’ body said reports and publicly available visuals of Wangchuk’s hospitalisation suggested extraordinary security arrangements, including restricted access to parts of the hospital, sealed-off floors, heavy security deployment and disruption of routine hospital operations.
“If such measures resulted in the disruption of patient care, impeded access to healthcare services, or created an environment in which a hospital appeared to function as an extension of law enforcement rather than a place of healing, the matter warrants independent examination,” the resident doctors wrote.
Independent inquiry
The body called for an independent inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Wangchuk’s continued hospitalisation and sought accountability wherever violations of constitutional rights, medical ethics or established legal procedures are found.
The body also sought an independent examination of reports alleging disproportionate use of force against peaceful protesters at Jantar Mantar on Monday.
The resident doctors said they were “equally concerned by reports surrounding the events at Jantar Mantar, where peaceful demonstrators were reportedly subjected to the use of force”.
According to them, such incidents, if established, “risk eroding public confidence in constitutional institutions and creating an atmosphere of fear among citizens, including members of the medical fraternity, who seek only to exercise their democratic rights peacefully”.
The eight-point representation called for public hospitals to remain free from perceptions of non-medical interference.
According to the latest health bulletin issued by Safdarjung Hospital at 9 am on 21 July, Wangchuk’s vital parameters remain stable, but several laboratory findings continue to be abnormal.
His blood sugar remains low, while his serum potassium level is 3.2 mEq/L, below the normal range. Doctors also reported persistent pancytopenia, including anaemia and low white blood cell counts.
The bulletin said Wangchuk is currently receiving oral rehydration therapy and oral potassium supplements but continues to refuse intravenous fluids and glucose despite repeated medical advice.
“In view of his ongoing mild to moderate dehydration, persistent laboratory abnormalities, and the physiological stress associated with prolonged fasting, sustained medical supervision and continuous clinical monitoring remain essential for his recovery and for the timely identification and management of any potential complications,” the hospital said.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)