Junior Doctor who got Suspended for Slapping HIV Patient, attempts Suicide, MGM Medical College to rusticate him for 1 year

Indore: The junior doctor, who recently got suspended for slapping an HIV-positive patient and later attempted suicide, is now out of danger and in stable condition.

The concerned doctor reportedly tried to kill himself on Friday night by consuming some poisonous substance. This comes after he got suspended by the authorities after the video where he was seen slapping the patient went viral on social media.

Although the doctor is now out of danger, the administration of MGM Medical College Indore has decided to take stringent action against him by rusticating him for a year. The college administration took this decision after the doctor was found guilty during the investigation, adds FPJ.

Meanwhile, the Junior Doctors Association (JRA) at the government-run Maharaja Yeshwantrao Hospital (MYH) in Indore recently held a late-night protest after the doctor attempted suicide.

The protesting doctors revealed how the staff and patients are at risk of getting infected because of blatant violation of the treatment protocol, adds TOI.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported on the controversy, where the video of the concerned doctor allegedly slapping and verbally abusing an HIV-infected patient at the MY Hospital went viral on social media.

In response to the incident, the doctor was immediately suspended from the hospital without delay. In addition, an inquiry team was created to investigate the matter. It was decided that further action against the accused would be taken in accordance with the investigation report.

The concerned HIV-infected patient was a 45-year-old man who was sent to MY Hospital from a hospital in Ujjain for treatment of a broken bone. The junior doctor who had initiated the patient's treatment was angry at not being told by the patient or his attendant about the HIV infection before the start of the bone treatment.

In the purported video of the incident, the junior doctor was seen continuously slapping the patient lying on the stretcher and abusing him. Responding to the situation, earlier MYH Superintendent Dr. Pramendra Thakur said that the junior doctor, who is posted in the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, had been suspended with immediate effect.

Also Read: Indore Shocker: Junior doctor allegedly slaps, abuses patient for not disclosing HIV status, suspended

MYH is affiliated with the city's government, Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College, whose dean Dr Sanjay Dixit had constituted a three-member committee to investigate the case and submit a report in three days, Thakur had earlier informed.

As per the latest media report by the Free Press Journal, Dean Dr. Sanjay Dixit recently told the media, "We have received the probe report from the committee. We have decided to rusticate the accused doctor for a year."

The Daily adds that after being suspended by the authorities, the concerned doctor attempted suicide by consuming poison. However, he is now out of danger and is receiving post-exposure prophylactic treatment. 

Sources informed TOI that the panel that was formed to investigate the matter had first recommended a 15-30 day suspension. However, the Divisional Commissioner Maal Singh Bhaydiya allegedly got furious over the recommendations and asked the committee to review it.

Meanwhile, responding to the suspension of the junior doctor, the Junior Doctors' Association arranged a protest and staged a demonstration against the divisional commissioner. They gheraoed the commissioner and shouted slogans against him as he had issued directions to the college administration to take action against the doctor.

Bhaydiya was visiting the concerned resident doctor who was admitted to the ICU. The JDA surrounded the officer, raised slogans, and demanded that the decision of suspension should be revoked.

Further raising the issue of safety of doctors, the JDA President Dr. Nayan Jain told the Times of India, "We are not given adequate gloves, masks, headgear or eye gear – mandatory protocol to treat any trauma patient to prevent spread of infections like HIV."

The doctors further claimed that they had not seen the headgear or eye gear, but some gloves are provided 'on and off'. Since the hospital faces around 300-500 patient load, even if the gloves are counted for the doctor and paramedical staff, at least 5 pairs of gloves are required for every patient.

As per the protocol, the gloves must be discarded after every patient. However, since there is a shortage of the same, there is no option but to use the same gloves for multiple patients, claimed Dr. Jain. This ultimately suggests that all the patients are treated with the same gloves and they are at risk of contracting the infections.

Commenting on the matter, the hospital emergency medicine HoD Dr Sumit Shukla said, "The entire stock for a year is around 2500-3000 gloves. How can the gloves be supplied for treatment of every patient."

Meanwhile, Bhaydiya added that he was not aware of the shortage of protective kits at MY Hospital. TOI adds that on October 28, the resident doctor was not wearing gloves. However, others were. The patient disclosed his status of being an HIV positive patient after the resident doctor dressed his fractured leg, that too without wearing gloves. Consequently, the doctor slapped the patient.

Even though the JDA demanded that the suspension order against the resident doctor gets revoked, Bhaydiya on Friday informed them clearly that the action of the resident doctor was uncalled for and he was facing a year-long suspension.

Also Read: 3 MGM Indore students booked for allegedly beating up sanitation workers