Mumbai: Policeman slaps resident doctor at Sion hospital

Resident doctors have demanded disciplinary action against the constable. File pic

Once again, a young resident doctor has been assaulted in the city. This time, however, the assailant was not the disgruntled relative of a patient but a policeman posted on Sion hospital's premises. Doctors have demanded action against the constable concerned.

According to BMC MARD, which represents resident doctors of KEM, Sion, Nair and Cooper hospitals, a patient was admitted by an officer attached to the Chunabhatti police station two to three months ago. The individual underwent above-the-knee amputation.

A representative of the organisation said, "If the police admit an unknown person and the patient recovers, the hospital informs the police about it and hands over the patient to them. After this particular patient recovered, a first-year resident doctor from the orthopaedics department approached the Sion police ADR (chowki). However, the police officers directed him to Chunabhatti police station to meet Head Constable Gosavi. He was assured that someone would do the necessary work on Sunday. But there was no response on that day."

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Around 11.30 am on Wednesday, according to the representative, the doctor went to the Sion police ADR post no. 11 inside the hospital. He requested police constable Jitendra Jadhav to complete the discharge procedure as the patient had recovered. After the policeman refused, claiming he was not responsible, the resident doctor told him to state this explicitly in writing. This infuriated the constable who slapped the doctor and grabbed him by the collar.

While the constable went to grab his baton, the youth fled. A meeting was later held at the hospital in the presence of a senior police inspector Dr Pravin Dhage, deputy dean of Sion hospital; and the president, Sion Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors. It was decided that a written apology would be issued by the constable. "We were also assured in the meeting that disciplinary action would be taken against the cop, failing which Sion MARD might have to take steps in the near future," the representative said. Manoj Herlekar, senior police inspector of Sion police station, said, "We are looking into the matter."