Shimla: Doctor's body demands reinstatement of IGMC medic terminated for 'punching' patient

Shimla: A day after the Himachal Pradesh government terminated the services of a senior resident doctor for getting into a physical altercation with a patient at the Indira Gandhi Medical College here, a prominent doctors’ body threatened to go on a mass casual leave on Friday, demanding immediate reinstatement of the medic.

The Resident Doctors' Association (RDA) of the Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) also threatened to go on strike from Saturday if their demand to revoke the termination order of Dr Raghav Narula is not met.

The Himachal Pradesh government on Wednesday terminated the services of Narula for his alleged involvement in a physical fight with a patient named Arjun Singh on Monday, after the report of an inquiry committee found “misconduct”, “misbehaviour” and “acts unbecoming of a public servant’ on his part, officials said.

The report found both parties at fault – Arjun Singh, who teaches in a private academy in Shimla, and Narula, a senior resident doctor in the department of pulmonary medicine.

The RDA held a gate meeting on Thursday with the backing of the Shimla Association of Medical and Dental College Teachers (SAMDCOT), demanding immediate revocation of Narula’s termination order, and registration of a case for criminal intimidation, conspiracy and unlawful assembly against a person named Naresh Dasta, who, it claimed, directly threatened Narula.

The RDA said in a statement that its members would go on a mass casual leave on Friday if their demand was not met.

The members also said they would meet Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Friday, and if their demand is still not met, they would be forced to go on a strike from 9:30 am on Saturday.

Barring emergency services, all regular services, including elective operation theatres and OPDs, will be closed during the strike period, the statement said.

The association also raised concern over the “mob intimidation” and “harassment” witnessed on the IGMC premises on Monday, which “jeopardised” the safety and working environment of the healthcare professionals and “disrupted” the regular functioning of the hospital.

Alleging that government property was damaged by the mob, the RDA demanded legal action against the “perpetrators” and a review of the “security lapse”.

Chief Minister Sukhu, meanwhile, told mediapersons that the government had reduced the burden on the senior resident doctors by reducing their shift timings, yet such an incident occurred.

“Action has been taken against the doctor,” Sukhu said.

He also said that doctors have urged to present their side of the story, and things must be resolved through dialogue in a democracy.

A viral video of the confrontation, which took place in the pulmonary ward of the IGMC on Monday, showed the doctor punching the patient in the face, while the patient was seen trying to kick the doctor.

Arjun Singh, a resident of Kupvi in Shimla district, had gone to the hospital for a bronchoscopy and felt breathlessness following the procedure.

He alleged that the dispute started over the doctor's choice of words. Singh claimed he objected when the doctor addressed him as "tu" instead of "tum", which made Narula “aggressive”.

However, Narula maintained that it was Singh who instigated the fight by using “abusive language” against him and his family.

He also claimed the video circulated widely showed only the partial truth.

The incident triggered a protest at the hospital on Monday, with Singh’s relatives and other patients demanding the doctor's arrest. The situation was pacified only after police intervention.

The Federation of Resident Doctors’ Associations (FORDA), a pan-India body, has submitted a representation to Chief Minister Sukhu, seeking a transparent, time-bound, and impartial inquiry into the incident.

The rights and dignity of both the patient and the doctor must be safeguarded during the inquiry period, ensuring that neither is prejudged based solely on the partial video clips or public perception, the association said.