POKHARA: Manipal Teaching Hospital in Pokhara has remained tense due to a dispute that arose after a young girl admitted in the hospital went missing Sunday night.

Staffers halted all services except emergency in the hospital today citing lack of security. The dispute arose when the relatives of the girl beat up doctors and nurses, blaming the latter for her disappearance last night.

Anusha Subba, 19, a permanent resident of Dharan, who is staying in Chipledhunga

of Pokhara, was taken to the hospital after she had consumed poison. The girl fled the ICU at 11 pm.

“The nurses on duty had informed the relatives of the matter instantly. But the relatives vandalised the hospital and attacked the health workers as the the patient was not found till midnight,” Dr Subas Bhattarai said.

“Relatives of the patients who were under the influence of alcohol mistreated health workers,” Shiv KC, treasurer, All Nepal Health Workers’ Association, said.

The girl was found in the corner of a private ward on the fifth floor at 9 this morning. The doctors and nurses beat up the the girl’s relatives in the private ward in the presence of the police.

The hospital staffers had misbehaved with the reporters who had reached there to collect the news. They also pressurised journalists not to take photos.

The Kaski chapter of Federation of Nepali Journalists, saying that the hospital administration had mistreated journalists, sought an apology from the hospital management.

The police were trying to take the injured with them. But the staffers stopped the police

van saying that they could be taken only after they had duly apologised for their mistake.

Following their word of apology, six persons were taken to District Police Office.

The medical staffers have said they would halt the services in the hospital until a public offence case was filed against the assailants.

“There is no work atmosphere in the hospital,” Dr CP Acharya said. The staffers have demanded that 10 security personnel be deployed at the hospital round the clock. “The case should be settled through a dialogue rather than filing a case,” Chum Bahadur GC, police inspector, Rambazaar Ward Police Office, said.