COVID positive KIMS Doctor alleges harassment by medical college; Inquiry ordered

BENGALURU: Karnataka Medical Education minister K. Sudhakar has ordered an enquiry into the alleged harassment of a woman doctor at a city medical college on Saturday after she complained of faulty masks and personal protective equipment (PPE) and later tested Covid-19 positive.

"I have taken note of supply of defective masks and PPE kits to Kempegowda Institute of Medical Science (KIMS) doctors and ordered an enquiry," said Sudhakar.

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The minister said the management of the hospital will be held responsible if found guilty.

According to the information shared by Sudhakar, a woman doctor at KIMS raised an alarm about the faulty PPE kits and shortage of N95 masks but was shunned and ridiculed by the management.

"Last week she raised an alarm about faulty PPE kits and shortage of N95 masks. But the administrative medical officer at KIMS shunned and chastised her for raising this issue," said one of the doctor's cousins in a viral post.

Following the alleged ridiculing, the doctor started buying her own N95 masks but she later tested positive for Covid-19.

Inspite of her predicament, when the doctor again brought her condition to the notice of the hospital management, she was not spared and again harassed and humiliated.

"She tested positive for Covid-19 and she appealed to the hospital authorities and raised her genuine concerns over the faulty protective gear, but she was again harassed and humiliated," he said.

Taking a serious note of the development, Sudhakar, a medical doctor himself said the government has taken all necessary measures.

"Doctors are our frontline warriors battling the pandemic. Government has taken all necessary measures to ensure the safety of our doctors," he said.

Located at Banashankari in the city, KIMS was established in 1980 by the Vokkaligara Sangha and is affiliated to the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Health Sciences.

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