Revoke doctor’s suspension, says med officers’ association over Karnataka pregnant lady death

BENGALURU: The Government Medical Officers’ Association has come out in support of Dr Usha A R, the on-duty doctor who was suspended following the death of a pregnant woman and her twins after being allegedly denied treatment at the Tumakuru district general hospital recently. A delegation from the association called upon Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr K Sudhakar on Monday and appealed to him to revoke the suspension, stating that Dr Usha was not responsible for the deaths.

They claimed that the doctor was in the Operation Theatre (OT) when the victim, Kasturi(30), along with her neighbour Sarojamma, came to the hospital. “After a house surgeon on duty informed Usha, she attended to the victim and tried to convince her to undergo some tests. But the victim herself took the decision to return home,” claimed Dr Chethan M, association president.

The association decided to plead the doctor’s case following a letter sent by her to them.  “I had performed eight surgeries between 5 pm and 9.30 pm on November 2. Meanwhile, I came across the woman (the victim) along with an attendant on the corridors and got to know from a postgraduate doctor and the nurse on duty that she was refusing to produce documents as well as undergo tests. On November 4, the minister and the commissioner concerned took the unilateral decision to suspend me on charges of dereliction of duty,” she stated in her letter.

DHO Dr Manjunath D N told TNIE, “The departmental inquiry is in progress and the facts will be established once the authority concerned submits its report to the government,” he said. Meanwhile, civil society members continued their protest demanding the dismissal of the duty doctor and three staff nurses.