RNT Doctor Death Case: Postmortem discrepancies spark hunger strike by Resident Doctors

Udaipur: Following the tragic death of Dr Ravi Sharma at the postgraduate hostel of Ravindranath Tagore (RNT) Medical College, Udaipur, resident doctors have escalated their protests, demanding justice, accountability, and announcing a hunger strike. This comes after a serious discrepancy between two postmortem reports surfaced, raising concerns about a possible cover-up on the matter. 

Two separate postmortems were conducted - one by a team from RNT Medical College and another by SMS Medical College in Jaipur - both revealed different conclusions. The first postmortem, carried out by a team at RNT Medical College, noted only superficial injuries. The report mentioned marks of abrasions on Dr. Ravi Sharma’s body and an injury on the back of his head “caused by electric shock,” but did not clearly state electrocution as the cause of death. Investigators collected a sample of normal skin and sent it to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for analysis.

Also read- Tragic: Doctor electrocuted to death at RNT College Hostel

Dissatisfied with the initial findings, resident doctors asked for a second opinion. A team from SMS Medical College in Jaipur, led by Dr. Deepali Pathak and including specialists in plastic surgery, pathology, and another forensic expert, re-examined the body. Their report confirmed electrocution as the cause of death, noting three distinct electric injuries. They also sent a sample from the exact area where the current passed to the FSL, though they pointed out that no such samples had been taken in the first postmortem, reports TOI. 

Despite the confirmation of electrocution by SMS Medical College, RNT authorities have not yet officially acknowledged it as the cause of death. This lack of response has further angered resident doctors, who allege that the administration is attempting to cover up the real cause of death.

In protest, resident doctors from RNT Medical College have announced a hunger strike, intensifying their ongoing agitation that started on June 18, the day Dr Ravi died. 

Dr. Tejpal, Udaipur Resident Doctors Association (URDA) media coordinator, told IANS, “I would like to inform all the people of Rajasthan, especially our healthcare workers and the administration, that as you all know, Dr. Ravi passed away due to administrative negligence. Since then, our movement to get him justice is ongoing. Even after giving an ultimatum, there has been no positive response or action from the administration. In this process, we have raised this issue repeatedly to demand justice…”

Medical dialogues had reported that a 35-year-old doctor was allegedly electrocuted while taking water from a cooler at the postgraduate hostel of Ravindranath Tagore (RNT) Medical College in Udaipur, who was about to join the Maharana Bhupal Government Hospital.  Despite giving immediate CPR and rushing him to the hospital, the doctor could not be revived and was pronounced dead. The deceased, Dr Ravi Sharma, arrived in Udaipur recently ahead of his scheduled joining at the hospital. He was staying with his cousin, also a doctor, in the college PG hostel.

His sudden death led to widespread anger among resident doctors and students at the institution, who ceased their work and launched a protest on campus on Thursday, raising slogans and demanding the resignation of college officials - the principal and hostel warden.

Resident doctors at RNT Medical College are deeply upset over how the death of Dr. Ravi Sharma has been handled. They believe the first postmortem report, done by their own college, did not give a clear reason for his death. Although the report mentioned injuries that looked like they were caused by electric shock, it did not confirm that electrocution was the cause. The doctors feel this is a serious mistake and an attempt to hide the truth. They believe this delay and confusion could stop the family from getting proper justice and compensation.

Since June 18, resident doctors at RNT Medical College have been boycotting all non-emergency services. Their protest has gained support from the Jaipur Association of Resident Doctors (JARD) and resident doctors from SN Medical College, Jodhpur, who have been observing a daily two-hour pen-down strike from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.

According to a report by Bhaskar, over 600 resident doctors across all hospitals affiliated with RNT Medical College held a strike for four consecutive days, accusing the college administration of hiding the truth and tampering with evidence. The residents say they will continue the strike until there is action against the administration. They want the truth about Dr Ravi Sharma’s death to come out and those responsible to be punished.

Starting Wednesday, resident doctors at SP Medical College in Bikaner and Government Medical College in Kota will join their Udaipur colleagues in a full strike. All outpatient (OPD) and inpatient (IPD) services, as well as emergency care and operations, will remain suspended until their demands are met. They said the strike would be observed to demand compensation for the family of the resident doctor

Speaking to TOI, Dr Bharat Pareek, President of JARD, Rajasthan, said, "The tragic death of Dr Ravi Sharma shook the state's medical fraternity. The State Human Rights Commission has sought an explanation from principals of RNT Medical College and SMS Medical College, Jaipur."

Raising concerns about the discrepancies in the postmortem report, a delegation from JARD met medical education secretary Ambrish Kumar on Tuesday to demand suspension of officials responsible for Dr Sharma's death, financial compensation, and a judicial inquiry into the discrepancies in the postmortem reports.

Dr Prashant Sharma, the cousin of the deceased, claimed that Ravi died from an electric shock caused by a faulty water cooler in the hostel. He said the first report by RNT is misleading and hides the truth. He accused the medical college of tampering with samples to protect the administration. He added, “If an educated doctor can die like this without justice, what must be happening to ordinary people? I feel dead inside. This is a failure of the system.”

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