Rajasthan gynecologist’s suicide: IMA calls for 24 Hrs Doctors’ Bandh in state

 

Jaipur: Following the suicide of a gynecologist in Dasua who was booked for murder on a pregnant woman’s death, associations of doctors in Rajasthan and in Delhi on Wednesday called for protests and a statewide bandh. The Rajasthan unit of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) issued a notification today, calling for the discontinuation of medical services in the state for the next 24 hours

‘IMA Rajasthan State calls upon 24 hours Medical Bandh and Protest day on 30.03.2022 from 6 am in Rajasthan state against the incidence happened in Lalsot Dausa yesterday and sad demise of Dr Archana Sharma’, the IMA notification said. ‘All kind of medical services would be closed for 24 hours in the state. Members are requested to support the Rajasthan Protest Day’, it added. Meanwhile, in the national capital, resident doctors from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) have planned a symbolic protest to work wearing black ribbons ‘against the barbaric harassment of Dr Archana Sharma which led to her suicide’.

A pregnant woman died at a private hospital reportedly due to a post partum haemorrhage during childbirth and following protests by relatives of the deceased woman, a first information report (FIR) for murder under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code was filed by the state police at the Lalsot Police station against Dr Archana Sharma. Following this Dr Sharma allegedly died by hanging on March 29 inside a room of the hospital. Police said a suicide note was recovered from her room. An FIR has been registered in the suicide case and police has launched an investigation, Dausa Station House Officer, Shankar Lal Meena said.

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Rajasthan Health Minister Parasadi Lal Meena said on Wednesday that the state government will conduct a thorough enquiry into the incident and appropriate action will be taken. ‘This is a tragic incident, a young doctor lost her life due to negligence. The police should not have registered the case under Section 302, it is against the decision of the Supreme Court. The medical community is furious over the case, and it is completely valid. The government will take strict and appropriate action after the thorough enquiry into of the case’, the minister said.

The Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA) has written to the Rajasthan government calling for an investigation into the incident, immediate withdrawal of the FIR and compensation by the state government to the family of Dr Sharma. FORDA stated that Post-Partum Haemorrhage (PPH) is a known complication following delivery in pregnant women and as per guidelines of the Supreme Court, and a doctor cannot be accused of medical negligence in any such incident, without proper investigation by an expert committee.