Doctor reveals pressure on emergency wards after family of 3-year-old with broken wrist confronts him

Dr Priyam Bordoloi emphasised that such incidents were not isolated.

A social media post shared by a resident doctor sparked widespread discussion online after detailing a confrontation inside a hospital casualty ward involving a young child with an apparent wrist injury. The account prompted extensive debate around emergency treatment procedures, patient expectations, and the pressures faced by doctors working in public hospitals.

The incident was described by Dr Priyam Bordoloi, a medicine resident, who said it took place around noon when a family arrived at the Medicine Casualty department carrying a three-year-old child whose wrist appeared visibly deformed following a fall. According to the post, the child was crying continuously and was accompanied by four or five relatives, who demanded immediate treatment.

Dr Priyamwrote that he assessed the situation and concluded that the child required orthopaedic care rather than treatment within the Medicine Casualty unit. In his post, he explained his role and limitations, stating: “I immediately assessed the situation. As a Medicine resident, I am neither an orthopedician nor a pediatrician. I knew that I was not in a position to manage this situation.”

He said he directed the family to the Orthopaedic Casualty unit located nearby and advised them to obtain a registration ticket so diagnostic tests and medication could be formally recorded. Recalling the exchange, he quoted himself as saying: “This is Medicine Casualty. Please turn left, the Orthopedic Casualty is right there. Since you have many people with you, have one person take the child there immediately while another goes to the counter for a ticket so the doctors can order X-rays and meds.”

According to Dr Priyam, the instructions were met with hostility. He wrote that the family became verbally abusive and questioned the need for administrative formalities. He quoted them as shouting: “You good-for-nothing doctors! Can’t you see this is an emergency? Why do we need a ticket?”

He further stated that when a junior doctor attempted to assist, threats were made. He quoted the warning as: “Treat him immediately or things will get bad for you.”

Around 12 noon today, a couple rushed into Medicine Casualty holding their 3-year-old. The child had fallen off a table; his wrist was visibly deformed, likely a clean break. He was crying inconsolably, surrounded by 4 or 5 frantic relatives.

"Doctor, treat my child fast!" they… — Dr. Priyam Bordoloi (@DocPriyamMD) January 7, 2026

Dr Priyam said mobile phones were then raised to record the interaction, with accusations levelled at the doctors. He described the moment by writing: “Then, the phones came out. Cameras were shoved in our faces. ‘Look at these doctors refusing to treat a child!’”

In his post, the doctor outlined what he described as context often absent from short video clips circulated online. He listed three key points: “1. I was directing them to the correct specialist only 3 minutes away.

2. Without a hospital ID/ticket, the Ortho team can't even log an X-ray request into the system.

3. Staying in Medicine Casualty was actually delaying the child's care.”

He added that in order to calm the situation, he temporarily left his assigned duties to personally escort the family to the Orthopaedic wing and explain the case to the doctors there. He stated that this decision meant leaving other patients unattended.

Later, according to the post, the family returned after the child had been stabilised and apologised for the confrontation. Dr Priyam wrote: “Hours later, after the child was stabilized, the family returned to apologize. I appreciate the apology, but the damage of those ‘recorded’ moments lingers.”

He went on to describe the broader implications for medical professionals, stating: “This is the daily reality for doctors: being vilified for following the very protocols that ensure a patient gets the right treatment from the right specialist.”

Addressing the circulation of videos accusing doctors of refusing care, he wrote: “Before you share a ‘doctor refusing treatment’ video, ask yourself: Are they refusing, or are they trying to get the patient to the help they actually need?”

Dr Priyam emphasised that such incidents were not isolated, writing: “This isn’t an isolated incident. It’s not even uncommon. Every intern and resident reading this has lived some version of it, being shouted at, threatened, filmed — not for negligence, but for following protocol.”

He added that the emotional toll often went unspoken: “What hurts most isn’t the abuse. It’s that these moments are now so routine that we don’t even talk about them, not to family, not to colleagues. We absorb it, normalize it, and move on to the next patient.”

Responding to criticism suggesting he should have personally escorted the child immediately, Dr Priyam addressed such remarks directly, writing: “To those asking ‘Why didn’t you immediately take the child to Ortho casualty?’ please stop being filmy and get some common sense.”

He invited critics to observe hospital conditions firsthand, stating: “I invite you to visit any government medical college Medicine Casualty and see the ground reality for yourself.”

He also described the workload at the time of the incident, writing: “We weren’t sitting idle. At that moment, we three doctors were already managing five active emergencies, a stroke, a heart attack, acute asthma, melena, and pancreatitis.”

Concluding his post, Dr Priyam defended the structure of emergency care in public hospitals, stating: “Government hospitals don’t work on emotions; they work on specialisation and triage. There are designated specialists for designated diseases for a reason. If I leave my post to escort every patient personally, who looks after the stroke patient?”

The post generated mixed reactions on social media. Some users supported the doctor’s explanation of emergency protocols, while others questioned whether administrative procedures should take precedence during critical moments.

One user commented: “High time for doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals to wear body cams connected to the hospital network.”

Another wrote: “Interesting replies, gives me a better insight of how much the general public understands the duties of medics posted in casuality. No, doctors do not escort patients to the respective faculties. Nowhere, not even in private hospitals will this be done. That's like asking a soldier to leave his surveillance post at the border. .”

Others expressed concern about systemic issues. One user wrote: “It's not your mistake but system is designed to make the process smoother, I never understood the logic that you need a ticket/receipt to handle emergency situation.”

Another questioned hospital processes, asking: “What happens when a person has both ortho and medicine emergency? Two tickets and to and fro between departments?? If it’s an emergency ward, why not admit and then refer immediately to the next specialist? Seems like a classic case of next counter pe jaao!”