JIPMER Resident Doctor levels harassment charges against HoD General Medicine, Health Ministry orders inquiry

Puducherry: The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued directions to the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research (JIPMER) administration to immediately conduct a thorough investigation of a complaint of alleged physical and psychological harassment faced by a Junior Resident at the Department of General Medicine.

It was alleged by the resident doctor that he was physically and psychologically harassed by an authority at the department. He also alleged that he had to face discriminatory behaviour.

Taking note of the complaint, B. Srinivas, the Deputy Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services, under the Health Ministry wrote to the JIPMER Dean (Administration) and sought a detailed report regarding the incident within 15 days after investigating the matter.

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As per the latest media report by The Hindu, the resident doctor filed a complaint before the Union Health Ministry and cited numerous instances where he was allegedly subjected to physical and mental harassment. He also alleged that he deliberately failed the MD general medicine professional exit examination by the Head of the Department. In his complaint, the JR accused the HoD of causing physical harm and of discriminatory behaviour.

The Daily adds that in his complaint, the resident said that he failed in the practicals after securing an All India rank 7 in the General Category of the MD final exam held in July, 2023, and in the practicals of the exit examination in November, even though he secured all India rank 28 in the INI-SS (Institute of National Importance-Super Speciality) examination conducted by the AIIMS in November 2023 session and being selected for DM Neurology in JIPMER in the first round of INI-SS counselling.

Further, the doctor claimed that he attempted suicide after being pushed due to the mental stress and agony. This issue was also flagged by DGHS in its communication to JIPMER for an inquiry report.

Apart from this, the complainant also conjoined a plea to the Dean of the Institute along with 30 outgoing residents and alumni of the Department of Medicine as signatories. In the plea, the residents alleged that at least five residents attempted self-harm over the past year and one in every seven residents was taking anti-depressants in the medicine department in the medicine department.

Allegedly, the concerned department had a failure rate in the exit exam that was much higher than any other of 28 odd clinical departments. Five students failed the exit exam in general medicine whereas only three candidates failed the exit test when all other departments were put together.