Delhi: Humiliated by SDM over deputing BDS staff, Covid duty doctor resigns
New Delhi: A Covid-19 duty doctor attached to Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital recently resigned after the sub-divisional Magistrate (SDM) in charge of the hospital allegedly misbehaved with the medical practitioner over deputation of BDS staff.
An altercation between the two erupted when the SDM allegedly shouted and humiliated the doctor and asked him to depute the BDS staff for managing the video calling facility for patients' relatives, whereas the doctor wanted their help in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Submitting the resignation letter on Saturday the doctor informed that the video calling facility with the relatives of the patient at the time of the incident was put on halt as the tablet dedicated for the service was put in charge.
The SDM on the other hand has alleged that the doctor was not ready to listen to the patients' negligence on the 6th floor and was not wearing a mask or a PPE kit as well. He also alleged that the doctor had hit him during the altercation.
In the resignation letter directed to the director of the hospital, the doctor mentioned, "I am to kindly state that SDM came to 6th floor ICU and shouted at me for preventing BDS from doing video call whereas the video call tablet was discharged and put on charging. I had requested SDM to allow me to use BDS staff as life-saving aid for patients instead of video calling in view of the severe shortage of JR, SR at 6th floor ICU. Currently, I am working with 1 JR and 1 SR at 6th floor ICU."
The letter further mentioned that the only junior resident doctor who was working with the doctor was unwell, leaving the responsibility of approximately 50 patients on the doctor and one senior resident doctor.
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Speaking to Indian Express, the doctor informed that he had been working at the ICU on Saturday from 9 am till 4 pm, without a break.
Adding that he asked four BDS staff deputed on his floor to help him with the patients amidst the severe staff shortage, he further told the daily, "The BDS staff were asked to be on duty on the floor as the patients were very critical. Four deaths happened on that day… Later, I came out of the ICU and was in a central area where PPE kits are not required. The SDM came in a PPE kit and, at first, I did not recognize who it was. He asked me why I was not allowing BDS to be on a video call. I said I am in charge here and responsible for saving patients' lives, which is more important than a video call."
Claiming that the SDM humiliated him by shouting at him, he further added, "If the hospital director would have come to tell me that BDS should do video calls and patients should be left to die, I still would not have done that."
The SDM, on the other hand, claimed that there were grievances from the patients for not receiving the status of the patient and for this purpose, the hospital started vital monitoring, statistics reporting, and video calling service with the help of BDS residents.
While commenting on the alleged incident, he told Indian Express, "I found some patients' negligence on 6th floor and reported the same to the doctor but he was not ready to listen and started shouting at me. He was not wearing a mask or PPE kit. I also requested him that at least one medical professional must be present inside the patient care area, so that if there is any medical emergency it can be managed timely, and also our BDS residents, besides clinical assistance, should timely communicate vitals of patients to Covid help desk — so that we timely inform the status of the patient to their relatives. But the doctor was not ready to listen and started thrashing me."
The doctor, however, denied these allegations and claimed that if he would have hit the SDM it would have been recorded on the camera of the SDM's personal secretary who was recording everything. He also mentioned that there were other medical staffs present who can testify for this.
