JnK Govt appoints Senior IAS officer to probe GMC Srinagar Assault case

Srinagar: After Health Minister Sakina Itoo vowed to take action against doctors who suspended emergency and OPD services in protest over an alleged assault on a resident doctor, the Jammu and Kashmir Health and Medical Education Department has ordered a high-level enquiry into the matter that occurred on July 23 at Government Medical College (GMC), Srinagar.

According to an order issued by Dr Syed Abid Rasheed Shah (IAS), Secretary of the Health Department, Mission Director of the National Health Mission (NHM) in J&K, Shri Baseer ul Haq Chaudhary (IAS), has been appointed as the 'Enquiry Officer'. Therefore, he will lead the enquiry and is expected to submit a report to the government within 15 days.

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Baseer has been directed to carry out an objective and detailed examination of the facts and circumstances related to the incident, look into the reasons behind the closure of the Operating Theatres (OTs), determine if the closure could have been avoided, and identify those responsible for any negligence or violation of established protocols.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that a third-year postgraduate resident doctor from the Medicine Department at Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital, affiliated with Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar, was allegedly brutally assaulted by an attendant following the death of a patient. CCTV footage from the hospital's emergency ward captured the attendant slapping the doctor inside the ward.

In protest against the alleged assault on the doctor, hundreds of doctors at Srinagar’s SMHS Hospital, affiliated with Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar, staged a massive strike on the campus demanding strict action against the culprit. As part of the agitation, the protesting doctors suspended both the Outpatient Department (OPD) and emergency services until the accused was arrested.

The officer has also been asked to recommend steps to enhance internal grievance redressal mechanisms, strengthen administrative coordination, and improve the overall functioning of the institution. He has also been asked to propose remedial and preventive measures to ensure that such incidents do not recur in the future.

Medical Dialogues recently reported that Sakina Itoo strongly condemned the shutdown of medical services at Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) Hospital. The doctors suspended all medical services, including emergency care, and shut the hospital’s main gates. This affected the patients severely since many were left unattended and had to leave after waiting for hours in frustration. Several critical patients also suffered as doctors refused to provide treatment. As a result, she assured that strict action would be taken against those doctors found responsible for disrupting patient care.

Also read- GMC Srinagar PG Medico Assault: Colleagues stage Protest, demand strict action