New Delhi: The Resident Doctors’ Association at the Vardhman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital, where activist Sonam Wangchuk is being held on the 24th day of his hunger strike, have written to the president of India seeking immediate intervention to uphold Wangchuk’s constitutional rights and patient autonomy.Wangchuk was forcibly admitted to the Safdarjung hospital on July 18 and has since then written multiple letters requesting to be “released.” He is not detained at the hospital, but his release has not been cleared. Wangchuk’s wife Geetanjali Angmo has also petitioned the Delhi high court for him to be moved to another hospital.“The Resident Doctors’ Association, VMMC & Safdarjung Hospital, respectfully expresses its deep concern regarding recent developments surrounding the continued hospitalisation of Mr Sonam Wangchuk at Safdarjung Hospital, which have raised important questions relating to patient autonomy, medical ethics, institutional independence, and the functioning of public healthcare institutions,” the doctors write.Similar concerns have been echoed by the AIIMS Resident Doctors’ Association in a shorter letter to President Droupadi Murmu. The AIIMS doctors have appealed to Murmu to order an independent, time-bound inquiry into the events at Jantar Mantar a day ago.‘Restriction upon a patient’s liberty’The Safdarjung doctors write that while Wangchuk’s medical condition 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.”Notably, they say: “Any restriction upon a patient’s liberty must be exercised strictly in accordance with law, remain proportionate and transparent, and must not compromise the patient’s rights, the professional independence of treating doctors, or the functioning of the hospital.”The doctors highlight the security arrangements, which they call “extraordinary.”“Reports and publicly available visuals regarding his hospitalisation at our institution, indicating extraordinary security arrangements—including restricted access to hospital areas, sealing off portions of the hospital, deployment of extensive security personnel across multiple floors, and restrictions on routine hospital operations—have generated widespread concern. 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.”Jantar MantarThe doctors say that they are “equally concerned by reports surrounding the events at Jantar Mantar, where peaceful demonstrators were reportedly subjected to the use of force.” Such incidents, if established, say the doctors, “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 AIIMS doctors add how videos circulating publicly appear to depict security personnel engaging in threatening behaviour towards a respected professor and students from Lady Hardinge Medical College. “These reports warrant an impartial and transparent examination,” they say.The Safdarjung doctors they have asked President Droupadi Murmu to respond to eight demands, chief among which cites reports indicating that Wangchuk, “despite being a competent patient, was not permitted to avail Leave Against Medical Advice (LAMA).”This, the doctors say, “if accurate, raise serious concerns regarding informed consent, personal liberty, and constitutional rights. Hospitals are institutions of healing and must not be perceived as places of detention except where such restriction is expressly authorised by law and carried out in accordance with due process. Every competent patient must be afforded the rights guaranteed under law, while any restriction on liberty should remain transparent, proportionate, and legally justified.”The doctors also asked that public hospitals remain institutions “dedicated solely to healthcare and are not perceived to be utilised for non-medical purposes.”The signatories to the Safdarjung letter are association president Devaunshi Kaul, vice-president Rahul, general secretary Ayush Raj, joint secretary Amit Yadav and treasurer Rohit Rathi.