Goa Health Minister kicks up row after suspending govt hospital doctor for ‘misbehaving’ with patient

In a purported video, Rane could be seen storming into a hospital ward and enquiring from a staffer about the whereabouts of the CMO.

Rane then pulled up the senior doctor, saying: “You learn to control your tongue. You are a doctor. Don’t force me to act. Put your hands out [of the pocket] when you are standing in front of me. I generally don’t lose my cool, but you have to behave yourself. However loaded [burdened] you are, you will talk properly to the patients and guide the patients…Remove the mask when I am speaking to you”.

“These doctors don’t understand. Unless you understand…you are here to serve humanity. You are not here with your bloody ego,” Rane said.

The minister then asked the medical superintendent to issue a suspension order, saying: “…Kick him out from here”.

Dr Kurtikar offered an explanation, but was told to “shut up” by Rane.

“You are not authorised to speak when I am speaking. You get out from here. You are a doctor to serve the poor people. I am suspending you. I want him relieved right now. You just understand one thing, you are dealing with me. First learn to shut up, when I am talking to you. You can be anything. You want to file a case, go and file a case, but I am telling you are suspended,” Rane said.

He goes on to say: “When the investigation starts, you give your explanation, that time I will consider whether I want to take you back or not. Otherwise [for] next two years, you will be suspended and you will remain…as long as my tenure is there. Poor people have to be served. I don’t want to listen to you. I am suspending you from this moment, go home before my blood pressure boils and I take some other action on you”.

Dr Rudresh Kurtikar could not be reached for a comment.

Later, in a post on X, Rane said he acted “in defence of a helpless, elderly woman”. “I received a message from a concerned family member about how a senior citizen, already in pain and medically advised to receive daily injections, was refused the injection at GMC casualty on a public holiday. What made the matter worse was that the casualty had minimal patient load at the time, and yet, a simple act of compassion and care was withheld. I found this deeply upsetting,” he said.

Rane said he accepts that his “tone and words could have been more measured”. “I’m not above reflection or criticism. I take full responsibility for how I communicated and I assure you, such an approach will not be repeated,” he said.

“However, what I will not apologise for is standing up for a patient who was denied care. Doctors hold a noble position in society and most of them at GMC serve with great dedication. But when arrogance seeps into duty, when compassion is replaced with indifference, it is my responsibility to take action. Because if we let such behaviour pass unaddressed, we send a message that it is acceptable to deny a senior citizen or any other person medical help. That cannot happen in a government hospital that is meant to serve the public,” he added.

In the post, Rane shared the contents of the message that he received, which stated that a person’s mother-in-law had been undergoing treatment at orthopaedic OPD for a severe sciatic leg problem and was advised to take injection at casualty by a staffer. The complaint said that when his mother-in-law accompanied by his wife went to the casualty on Saturday morning, the CMO told them that “casualty is not for giving injection and it is only for emergency”. It stated that they requested CMO for assistance considering the patient’s old age and since it was a public holiday, but the CMO refused and the injection was finally given in the orthopaedic ward. The complainant said that he later went to the casualty ward and saw there were hardly any patients in emergency and then asked the Minister to look into the matter regarding rude behaviour of the doctor on duty.

An official said that a patient, along with a relative, had come to the casualty ward for a B12 vitamin injection. “The doctor directed the patient to go to the nearby urban health centre for the injection, since casualty is only for emergency cases,” the official said.

In a statement, Goa state branch of Indian Medical Association (IMA) said it “strongly condemns this unruly act by the Health Minister on our fellow colleague”.

“The IMA Goa state branch is deeply disturbed and profoundly disappointed to note the circulating video that clearly shows the Health Minister of Goa, accompanied by media persons, entering the emergency ward of Goa Medical College and, based solely on alleged complaint conveyed over the phone by a press reporter, proceeding to suspend a senior doctor from the emergency department without giving him an opportunity to present his side of the facts besides publicly berating him in a tone and manner that amounts to emotional assault on the duty doctors,” it said.

The association added that it “strongly condemn[s] this arbitrary and high-handed behaviour that has humiliated and victimised a dedicated medical professional in full view of the public and media”.

“We urge the authorities to immediately rescind the suspension and reinstate the doctor, while ensuring that a fair trial remains an integral part of any grievance redressal process. IMA Goa firmly stands with the victimized doctor and hopes that better sense and justice prevail,” the statement said.

Girish Chodankar, former president of Goa Pradesh Congress Committee, said the minister’s conduct was “utterly disgraceful, blatantly biased, unprofessional and a clear abuse of power.”

“Instead of handling the matter with maturity and basic human decency, the minister chose public humiliation over dialogue. Regardless of whether the doctor was at fault, denying him the basic right to be heard is unacceptable. A respected doctor was publicly demeaned by someone who should be setting an example of leadership. This isn’t governance, it’s arrogance. We demand a formal and public apology from Vishwajit Rane without delay,” he said.