Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday said he would meet senior doctors of Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) and constitute a new inquiry committee into the scuffle between a doctor and a patient in the Pulmonary Medicine ward of the institute, in which a senior resident was terminated from service.
Talking to mediapersons here, Sukhu appreciated the Resident Doctors Association for calling off its strike, after which doctors resumed their work in state hospitals across Himachal Pradesh. He said action had so far been taken against the doctor, who was terminated from the senior residency post as well as from contract services, based on an inquiry conducted by IGMC doctors.
“However, I will speak to the senior doctors and constitute another inquiry committee of doctors and ask them to submit their report. It will consider two issues—termination from the senior resident’s post and termination from contract services. The government does not want to finish anybody’s career. If someone has done wrong, he should regret it and ensure it is not repeated,” the Chief Minister said.
The issue of the scuffle between the patient and the doctor was blown out of proportion after a video of the incident went viral. The government immediately suspended the doctor and, within 48 hours, terminated him from service, triggering strong reactions from the medical fraternity.
Resident Doctors Associations of medical colleges and the Himachal Pradesh Medical Officers Association first proceeded on mass leave and then went on strike from Saturday. The strike was called off on Sunday evening after the Chief Minister’s appeal to doctors to resume duties, assuring them that the decision would be reviewed after a fresh inquiry.
The issue took a serious turn as the government was accused of taking one-sided action against the doctor, despite cross FIRs being registered by both the patient and the doctor. No action was taken against the mob that forcefully entered the Pulmonary Medicine ward of IGMC in support of the patient and threatened doctors after the incident.
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