Muzaffarpur, Sept. 14: Health services at Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) came to a standstill since last night after junior doctors launched an indefinite strike, sensing the noose tightening around doctors guilty of operating upon Sushila Devi’s gall bladder instead of her leg last Sunday.
Meanwhile, today afternoon, Sushila Devi gave a statement to senior superintendent of police (SSP) Rajesh Kumar and superintendent of police (SP) Manoj Kumar that was shot on video. She claimed that lying on the surgery table she had protested that she was supposed to undergo a leg surgery and not anything in the abdomen, as the doctors began the operation. Sushila even claimed that she could recognise the doctors who operated on her.
Last night, the district police had detained Dr H.N. Bhardwaj for questioning at Barhampura police station. The news of the detention spread like wildfire across the city.
SKMCH superintendent Dr G.K. Thakur and its principal Dr D.K. Sinha, along with several medical practitioners, reached the police station and exerted pressure for his release. Hundreds of medicos and junior doctors, armed with hockey sticks, raided the police station in the presence of Thakur and Sinha and created commotion.
They got into a heated exchange of words with Barhampura police station officer Sunil Kumar and Ahiyapur police station officer Amrendra Jha, demanding Dr Bhardwaj’s immediate release. Thereafter, junior doctors dragged out the patients admitted in the wards of the hospital. Superintendent of police (city) Manoj Kumar said the district police brought Dr Bhardwaj for quizzing and freed him after sometime.
The junior doctors did not spare the patients residents of neighbouring villages like Sahbazpur and Rasulpur who came to rescue the patients. Villagers of Sahbazpur, Rasulpur, Bara Jagannath, Jhapha and Bahbalpur of Minapur strongly protested the style of functioning of the junior doctors and pleaded with them not to ill-treat the patients. Five hundred villagers blocked Muzaffarpur-Sitamarhi National Highway 57 this morning to protest the assault of their relatives by the junior doctors.
District magistrate Santosh Kumar Mall told The Telegraph he has deployed police forces in the vicinity of SKMCH to control the volatile situation. Administrative sources said principal secretary (health) Amarjeet Sinha has asked the SKMCH superintendent to submit the inquiry report in a day. The superintendent held a high-level meeting with the heads of departments and senior resident doctors.
Singh, who lodged a named FIR against Dr Bhardwaj in this connection, met the SSP and demanded justice. The SSP told The Telegraph that the guilty doctor would be booked. The case has been lodged under Section 307 of the Indian Penal Code with Ahiyapur police station.
The superintendent had served a showcause notice on Dr Bhardwaj and Dr Mishra for gross medical negligence and lapses that led to the wrong surgery. Sushila’s husband, Shiv Narayan Singh, said her condition deteriorated last night after the oxygen pipe was removed. When he complained to the superintendent and other senior doctors, they examined her and fixed the oxygen pipe again.
