The services of Dr Raghav Narula, Senior Resident, Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital, Shimla, has been terminated with immediate effect for assaulting a patient inside the hospital on December 22.
Director, Medical Education, issued the orders of the termination of his services today evening on the basis of the report submitted by an inquiry committee into the matter.
The doctor had already been suspended following the preliminary inquiry by a three-member committee immediately after the incident occurred.
As per the orders, the inquiry committee found both the patient and the doctor responsible for the incident, “which amounts to misconduct, misbehaviour, acts of commission and unbecoming of a public servant and the violation of the Resident Doctors Policy 2025”.
The video of the incident, which showed the 32-year-old doctor raining punches on the patient lying on the bed, had gone viral on the social media, leading to condemnation of the doctor’s behaviour by all and sundry.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Health Minister Dhani Ram Shandil, too, called the doctor’s conduct unacceptable. The family and friends of the patient, Arjun Panwar from Kupvi, had been demanding termination of the services of the doctor.
However, the Resident Doctors Association of the hospital had come out in defence of their colleague, claiming that the video clip did not show the entire truth and the doctor acted in self-defence.
Dr Narula had himself claimed that the patient misbehaved with him, abused his family and attacked him, which forced him to respond.
Earlier, the State Association of Medical and Dental College Teachers (SAMDCOT) on Wednesday threatened to launch a statewide agitation if action wasn’t taken against the people inciting the crowd following the assault on a patient by a Senior Resident at the IGMC, Shimla.
While expressing concern over the “scuffle” between the doctor and the patient, the association appealed to the public, administration and media to not reach any conclusion on the basis of the “selected and edited video clip”.
The association has expressed concern and objection to the commotion the hospital witnessed in the wake of the incident.
Alleging that hospital was under siege for several hours, which affected the treatment of admitted patients, the association said some people in the crowd made threats to the doctors during the commotion.
The association further alleged that photos of the doctor were shared on social media, leading to harassment and defamation. Besides, AI-generated images/videos are being shared to portray the doctor as a violent individual.
“The hospital premises were used for unlawful assembly, violating the orders of the High Court. This has put the safety of patients and healthcare professionals at risk,” the association said.
The association further demanded that adequate measures should be taken to protect healthcare professionals from violence and intimidation.
