‘Misconduct, Misbehaviour….’: Here’s Why Himachal Govt Terminates Doc Service After Brawl With Patient

Shimla: In the patient-doctor brawl case at Indira Gandhi Medical College in Shimla, the Himachal Pradesh government on Wednesday (December 24) reportedly terminated the services of the senior resident doctor, Raghav Narula.

According to a report submitted by a committee that was formed to probe the incident that took place on Monday found both parties at fault, reported the PTI.

“Both the patient and the senior resident doctor were responsible for the incident, which amounted to misconduct, misbehaviour, acts unbecoming of a public servant, and violation of the Resident Doctor Policy-2025,” an order issued on Wednesday evening by the director of medical education and research states, as reported by PTI.

An FIR was also lodged against the doctor by the attendants of the patient, the report claims. The brawl reportedly erupted inside the hospital ward over the use of the word ‘tu’ (informal way of saying you). However, the doctor has refused to have used any wrong words or tone, the NDTV reported. The doctor also claimed that he didn’t raise his volume.

The video of the chaos at the hospital has gone viral on social media. The doctor had stated that the 10-second clip doesn’t show the entire sequence of events, reported NDTV. The viral video shows Narula repeatedly hitting the patient while he laid on the bed, trying to protect himself.

On Tuesday, the Resident Doctors’ Association of IGMC had defended the doctor, claiming that patient “misbehaved and used abusive language” against the doctor and his family when asked about his medical records, according to NDTV. The association also demanded an impartial inquiry into the incident.

The doctor had alleged that the patient and his family members ‘threatened to kill’ him. On the other hand, relatives, friends, and other patients staged a protest and demanded the immediate arrest of the doctor. This led hospital authorities to seek police intervention.

Superintendent of Police (Shimla district) Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi said, as reported by ANI, all aspects of the case were being examined.