GURUGRAM: After conveying to the government their unhappiness about the way medical negligence complaints were being handled, an association of doctors on Saturday told police commissioner Sandeep Khirwar an “atmosphere of fear” had been building up since two of their peers were arrested and “treated like criminals” earlier this month.
Doctors attached to various private hospitals in the city recently formed an association — Association of Tertiary Heathcare Consultants — to help “colleagues in distress”, in the wake of a series of medical negligence complaints being filed and the arrest of two Fortis doctors on the advice of the district medical board. Last week, they met deputy commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh to express their concern about the erosion of doctor-patient trust.
In their meeting with Khirwar on Saturday, the doctors sought humane treatment for those facing negligence complaints. Dr Rajeev Bhargava, director of haematology at Fortis, said people had started alleging negligence if the outcome wasn’t favourable for them.
Referring to the arrests, one of the doctors who met the police chief said, “They were picked up from the hospital, their phones were confiscated and they could not inform their family. Their faces were covered with a towel, and later, photographs were leaked to the media. They were treated like criminals, even though they were willing to cooperate with the investigation.”
Asked about the meeting, Khirwar told TOI, “I assured them the dignity of their profession will be kept intact even when the investigation proceeds. The law will take its own course and their version of events will also be taken into consideration.”
