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Journalism of Courage
Medical officer of Gujarat hospital booked for assault on woman resident doctor
Dr Ashwin Ramani has been transferred from Rajkot Civil Hospital to a Primary Health Centre in Panchmahals district.
A total 60 infant deaths were reported at hospital in August.
The police on Thursday booked the medical officer of Rajkot Civil Hospital on charges of physically assaulting and verbally abusing an on-duty woman resident doctor.
In protest against the alleged assault, the Junior Doctors Association (JDA) had gone on strike. The college council also investigated the matter, and recommended action against the accused medical officer, Dr Ashwin Ramani.
Dr Ramani has been transferred from Rajkot Civil Hospital to the Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Vav Kulli, in Ghoghamba taluka, of the Panchmahals district, said an order of the Health department .
In the wake of the incident, the health department replaced in-charge Medical Superintendent Dr Monali Makadia with Dr Kamal Dodia, who is the head of the ophthalmology department at the adjoining PDU Medical College.
In a post on X, Health Minister Praful Pansheriya posted, “The state government has taken the incident of misconduct with a female doctor at Rajkot Civil Hospital with utmost seriousness. It has assured prompt justice and complete safety to the victim female doctor through telephonic conversation by evening.”
The First Information Report (FIR) registered in the case has stated that the junior doctor was on duty in the emergency ward of Rajkot Civil Hospital when an elderly woman patient was brought in at about 7.30 pm on Thursday. Since the condition of the patient was serious, the junior doctor informed her senior Dr Ramani, that “the woman needed to be put on a ventilator, but Dr Ramani paid no heed to her and told her to send the patient to the general ward.”
When the junior doctor again informed Dr Ramani about the requirement of the patient, the latter allegedly got angry, swore at her and slapped her. The guards and other staff rushed to the scene of commotion and took Dr Ramani aside. The incident was captured on the CCTV camera in the emergency ward of the hospital.
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Dr Ramani has been booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Sections 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 352 (intentional insult meant to provoke breach of peace), and 351(2) (criminal intimidation).
On Friday evening, police inspector M D Makwana of Pradyumannagar police station said that since the case against Dr Ramani was non-cognizable, he was given bail before the magistrate.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
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