MUMBAI: The family of the 27-year-old doctor from Sub-district Hospital in Phaltan, Satara, who attempted suicide in Sion last week following which he was admitted to Sion Hospital where he died on Monday, refused to claim his body until “justice was done”.
He lost his mother when he was two years old and was raised by his maternal uncle. The young doctor allegedly attempted suicide when Prasad Konde-Deshmukh, the personal assistant of a former minister Tanaji Sawant, purportedly harassed him when he refused him a fitness certificate as there were inconsistencies in his ECG report. The refusal led to a war of words, including physical violence against the now-deceased doctor by Konde-Deshmukh’s bodyguard. Following this, the personal assistant allegedly had the doctor suspended. The doctor’s tragic end also highlights his rise from abject poverty and difficult family circumstances. After completing school from Baramati’s Samaj Kalyan Hostel, a facility for marginalised students, he gained admission to Grant Medical College and lived in the hostel there. The Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) has also stepped up its support for the doctor. They need to be protected, legally and emotionally, and should feel safe while carrying out their responsibilities. it often isn’t enforced While legislation exists to protect them. Opposition leaders also rallied, demanding action against the high-handedness of the political leaders that led the doctor to take this extreme step. he listed past SIT inquiries that had yet to bear any result While Rohit Pawar demanded a Special Investigation Team’s (SIT) probe. “This government has a record of inconclusive SIT enquiries — Ashok Kharat, Somnath Suryavanshi, Santosh Deshmukh, the other female doctor’s suicide who worked in the same Phaltan hospital, etc.
An inquiry team that visited the hospital advised the doctor to get along with the medical superintendent, Dr Neela Madane, allegedly telling him that since she was up for a promotion, she could make it difficult for him to work, said a batch-mate who did not wish to be named. “When we had asked him about the suicide threat, he simply said ‘I am a doctor, would I do such a thing?’,” said his brother, who travelled to Mumbai from Solapur on Monday. Secretary of BMC MARD, Dr Rutuja Raut told HT: “Doctors end up getting a raw deal from politicians and the administration. This SIT enquiry should be given a time-frame and a fast-track court should hear this case to ensure justice,” Pawar said at Sion hospital. “If doctors working in government healthcare institutions cannot perform their duties without fear, pressure or intimidation, it will inevitably affect patient care and the functioning of the entire public health system,” the AMO said in a statement.
