Following ruckus at the MGM Medical College and Hospital after a 40-year-old  patient with acute stomach ache died due to alleged doctors' negligence at the hospital, the hospital management has decided to cut salaries of missing doctors.

According to information, after the patient died at around  8.30 pm, the doctors at the emergency duty fled from the emergency ward, fearing assault by relatives of the deceased.

The doctors left their duty for about two hours during which the relatives' of the patient, identified as Tushar Mukhi, created ruckus near the emergency ward. The doctors returned to their posts only after a police party led by sub-inspector LP Mandal reached there and assured the doctors of proper security.

Later, late in the night, hospital superintendent, RK Mandhan, rushed to the hospital. State food and  civil supplies Minister Sarayu Roy reached the hospital at around 11 pm.

Hospital superintendent, Mandhan, said doctors left the emergency duty in fear of backlash by relatives of the patient who died.

"I informed the health secretary, Nitin Madan Kulkarni  about the incident late in the night. The health secretary instructed me to find out the doctors who left their duty in fear of assault. He (the health secretary) has pointed out that one-day pay will be deducted from the salaries of those who left the emergency duty in fear," said Mandhan.

The hospital superintendent said two doctors who had left their duty were surgeon-on-duty and physician-on-duty.  He, however, declined to give their names, claiming that it is an internal matter of the hospital.

"The doctors have said that the situation was such that they ran away. Both the doctors in their clarification said that they had not left the hospital premises, but had hid themselves in fear.  There were about 50 agitated protestors, several of them were carrying sticks and iron rods," said the superintendent. He said he would forward the names of these two doctors and their explanation to the health secretary today.

The patient in question had come to the medical college hospital with an acute stomach pain from Kapali near Mango at about 6 pm. The doctors on emergency duty administered him saline and the necessary life-saving drug, but the pain continued. Latter he died.