Rajkot Civil Hospital senior doctor booked for allegedly slapping female resident, doctors demand strict action
Doctor Booked
Rajkot: A senior doctor at Rajkot Civil Hospital has been booked for allegedly hitting, verbally abusing, and threatening a female junior resident during a dispute at the hospital's emergency ward over the admission of a critically ill patient.
A video showing the senior doctor allegedly slapping the junior, while she is recording the altercation, has gone viral on social media, drawing massive backlash from the medical community.
Taking serious cognisance of the matter, the Gujarat health department has transferred the senior doctor to a primary health centre in Panchmahal district.
While the doctor was detained on August 21 after the police registered an FIR against him based on a complaint filed by the female doctor, doctors on the social media platform are demanding immediate arrest of the accused.
In protest against the alleged assault, the Junior Doctors Association (JDA) went on a brief strike at the hospital late at night on August 20. The agitation was called off, and doctors resumed their duties after the complaint was filed.
The reported incident took place on Thursday evening at the emergency ward of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay (PDU) Civil Hospital, where the female resident doctor was on duty. The medico is a first-year resident in the medicine department.
According to her complaint, an elderly patient in a critical condition was brought to the emergency ward at around 7:30 p.m. - 7:45 p.m. A disagreement reportedly developed over the patient's admission and treatment, following which the confrontation escalated.
As per a report by The Times of India, the junior doctor sought ventilator support for a patient whose condition required urgent attention. She then asked the accused on-duty senior doctor to admit the patient to the emergency ward. However, he allegedly refused and directed that the patient be shifted to a general ward instead.
When she reportedly reiterated the seriousness of the patient’s condition, the senior doctor allegedly lost his temper, verbally abused her and slapped her. He also allegedly issued criminal threats before other hospital staff and security personnel intervened and escorted him away.
In the viral video, the doctor was also heard saying, "Your father's rule doesn't work here."
The junior doctor later alleged that the incident was captured on CCTV cameras installed in the emergency room. She also said that she had previously submitted a written complaint against him on July 1 to the resident medical officer through the hospital superintendent, but claimed that no action was taken on her complaint at that time.
The incident triggered anger among the junior doctors at the hospitals who staged a protest last night on August 20, demanding action against the accused and greater protection for doctors working in emergency areas.
The protest was eventually called off after the complaint was registered with Pradyumnanagar Police Station. The resident doctors subsequently returned to duty.
Based on the complaint, the police registered a case under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Sections 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 352 (intentional insult meant to provoke breach of peace), and 351(2) (criminal intimidation) and detained the senior doctor on August 21 in connection with the allegations.
Action by government
Taking note of the incident, the Gujarat government on Friday ordered the transfer of the senior doctor from Rajkot Civil Hospital to a primary health centre in Panchmahal district.
Health Minister Praful Pansheriya said that the government had taken the incident "extremely seriously" and assured the woman doctor of justice and complete security during a telephone conversation with her.
Pansheriya said the government would not compromise on the safety and dignity of women employees and doctors working in government hospitals.
“The state government has taken the incident of misconduct with a woman doctor at Rajkot Civil Hospital extremely seriously,” he said.
The minister said he had spoken to the affected doctor over the telephone after being informed about the incident and assured her that justice and complete security would be ensured.
He further said that the safety of every woman employee and doctor working in the state's health services is a priority and that the government would "not tolerate misconduct or inappropriate behaviour at the workplace".
The Health Department has also issued guidelines to government health institutions across Gujarat to ensure a safe, respectful and positive working environment.
"Women doctors played an important role in providing healthcare services and the government is committed to ensuring a workplace where their dignity and respect are protected," he said as quoted by IANS.
Doctors demand strict action
Commenting on the incident, Dr Dhruv Chauhan, National Spokesperson, Indian Medical Association-Junior Doctors Network (IMA-JDN), told Medical Dialogues, “There have been multiple instances of senior doctors physically assaulting junior doctors. However, cases of verbal abuse often go unreported or undocumented. In the present case, the alleged abuse of a female doctor came to light along with the physical assault, which resulted in the incident being treated as a criminal matter. There are several such incidents that occur daily, and they can have a significant impact on the mental health and well-being of resident doctors. Incidents of verbal harassment and abuse must also be reported and addressed. In this case, given the allegations of physical assault, appropriate action should be taken against the senior doctor. The senior doctor should not be permitted to work anywhere in the hospital."
Dr Mohammad Momin Khan, Health Activist, in a post on X wrote, "Allegations of misconduct and assault by a senior MO against a female doctor are deeply disturbing and absolutely unacceptable. Gunda Raj by any senior will NOT be tolerated. Arrest Him Immediately."
In another post on X, Dr Wasim Khan, Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Medical Students Association, said, "Strongly condemn the alleged assault & misconduct against a female resident doctor by a senior officer at Rajkot Civil Hospital. Hospitals must be safe spaces. We stand in absolute solidarity with the doctors demanding immediate action & justice!"
FAIMA National Chairman Dr Jaideep Kumar Choudhary told Medical Dialogues, "This is against the medical ethics and etiquettes and we urge to take appropriate against the one who has committed such thing..We always advocate the respect, dignity and following of etiquettes in medical practice. The culprit must be punished if the doctor is proven guilty."
Democratic Medical Association, National President, Dr Amit Vyas said, "There is absolutely NO justification for physically assaulting or verbally abusing an on-duty resident doctor. A difference of medical opinion, administrative disagreement, or frustration can NEVER be an excuse for violence. If the allegations are established, such behaviour is not merely ‘misconduct’—it is an unacceptable attack on the dignity, safety and professional rights of a doctor who was performing her duty in an emergency. How can we expect doctors to save patients fearlessly if they themselves are not safe inside their own hospital? Enough is enough. Violence against doctors must stop."
