BRD Medical College suspends 6 junior doctors after clash, Doctors allege attendant tried to pull female colleague
Gorakhpur: The administration of BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur has suspended six junior doctors for a week and imposed fines ranging from Rs 25,000 to Rs 50,000 on them following an alleged clash with patients' attendants, during which the doctors alleged that an attendant attempted to grab and pull a female junior doctor by the hand.
The dispute reportedly broke out on Tuesday night after a patient injured in a road accident died during treatment. The attendants demanded a post-mortem examination, leading to an altercation with the doctors on duty.
The junior doctors also lodged a police complaint alleging that a large number of attendants had gathered in the medicine ward corridor and that the situation escalated after one attendant allegedly attempted to pull a female doctor by the hand.
What led to the alleged altercation:
According to a Bhaskar report, a resident of Soyam village in the Kotwali police station area of Sant Kabir Nagar, was injured in a road accident on October 3. After receiving primary treatment at the district hospital, the patient was referred to BRD Medical College, where he was admitted to Ward 11 of the Medicine Emergency Department because of a head injury. While undergoing treatment, the patient died at around 12 midnight on Tuesday.
The attendants of the patient alleged that the junior doctors who were on duty issued a death certificate and told them to take the body home. However, the attendants demanded a post-mortem as the patient had died in a road accident.
It was alleged by the patient's attendants that as the dispute further escalated, the channel gate of the gallery in Ward No. 11 was closed and they were assaulted. Consequently, a video of the incident went viral on social media.
Reportedly, the dispute continued till around 2 A.M. on Tuesday night. After receiving information, police reached the spot and brought the matter under control after speaking to both sides. Thereafter, a memo was prepared for the post-mortem and was sent to Gulhariya police.
Allegations by Doctors and Patients' Attendants:
Following the incident, a complaint was filed by an attendant of the patient with Gulhariya police. The complaint includes serious allegations, including assault against the junior doctors and other staff members. The complainant also provided the police with a video related to the incident. Police are investigating the authenticity of the video and the sequence of events shown in it.
A police complaint was also lodged by the junior doctors against the attendants of the patients. The doctors alleged that a large number of attendants had gathered in the corridor of the medicine ward, and one attendant had allegedly tried to grab and pull a female junior doctor by the hand. The doctors alleged that this led to the escalation of the situation.
Committee formed to investigate allegations:
Following the reported clash, the medical college administration set up a three-member committee to investigate the entire matter. All six accused junior doctors were summoned before the committee. During the investigation, the CCTV footage was also examined.
Action taken by Medical College:
After the committee submitted its report, the medical college administration imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 each on the three main accused junior doctors, while the three other junior doctors who supported them have each been fined Rs 25,000. All six doctors have given a written assurance that such an incident will not be repeated in the future.
The action is not limited to punitive measures only. To prevent a recurrence of the incident, the medical college has arranged regular counselling for the junior doctors. Further, the college administration has also decided to send new students for soft-skills training and counselling sessions. This step has been taken to prepare doctors to communicate with patients and their attendants and to handle stressful situations in a more effective manner.
Further, taking note of the allegations raised by the junior doctors, the administration has also raised questions regarding the role of the security guard deployed at the time of the incident. It has written to the Sainik Welfare Corporation seeking the removal of the guard deployed at the scene.
According to the college administration, a total of 15 guards were deployed there. The guard, who was posted at the gate of Medicine Ward, had the responsibility of preventing attendants from entering the gallery and calling another guard for help.
While commenting on the incident, BRD Medical College Principal Dr Dharmendra Kumar told Bhaskar that the incident was reviewed before the inquiry committee based on the CCTV footage and action has been taken against six junior doctors.
