Dog bite: Doctor suspended for refusing rabies shot to wife of Padma Shri awardee Dr Das in MP

Dhar, Madhya Pradesh: A doctor at a community health centre in Dhar district has been suspended for allegedly refusing to administer an anti-rabies injection to the wife of Subroto Das, a Padma Shri awardee, over the weekend, an official said on Monday.

The incident occurred in the tourist town of Mandu, around 38 km off the Dhar district headquarters on Saturday, where Vadodara-based Dr Das and his wife Sushmita Das (60) were on a visit, when she was bitten on her leg by a stray dog.

When the couple approached a local health facility for an anti-rabies shot, the attending doctors allegedly declined to administer it, citing unavailability, and redirected them to a far-off health centre. Sushmita Das was eventually administered the injection at the Mandu health centre, her husband told PTI.

She is fine, Dr Das told PTI on Monday afternoon when contacted over the phone.

"The worst thing I didn't like is that she (the doctor) didn't even check my wife. A doctor has to do that," he said.

Taking serious note of the incident, Dhar district collector Priyank Mishra ordered an inquiry by a team from Indore. Based on the preliminary findings, Dr Chandni Dabrolia was found prima facie guilty and suspended by the health department.

"Any government institution, be it a hospital, college, school, service centre or office, must treat every service-seeking citizen respectfully and deliver the required service within the stipulated time," Mishra told reporters here.

He said the doctor's behaviour was inappropriate and her actions unacceptable, which warranted the suspension based on the initial probe.