SAMBALPUR: Around two days after the video of a verbal spat between a lady pharmacist and a senior doctor of Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences And Research (VIMSAR), Burla went viral on social media, the Junior Doctors’ Association (JDA) on behalf of all the working junior doctors and house surgeons in the hospital issued a clarification on Saturday.
Reportedly, the spat took place between the two at the Niramaya counter in the OPD on May 10. Prior to that, on May 9 also, a minor tiff had occurred between one of the pharmacists of VIMSAR, Manas Ranjan Pati and a male house surgeon over a delay in provisioning medicines. In the incident, the pharmacist had allegedly misbehaved with the latter.
According to the press release issued by the JDA, on May 10, a female house surgeon on duty was asked to fetch emergency medicine for a patient. However, when she went to the Niramaya counter, she was forced to wait for 20 minutes. Subsequently, she called another house surgeon but he was again made to wait for 30 minutes. When the house surgeon asked the pharmacist Manas Ranjan Pati about the delay, the pharmacist reportedly misbehaved with both the house surgeons. The house surgeons then informed the matter to a senior resident Dr Abhishek, who went to Niramaya to inquire about the same.
“When they reached there, another lady pharmacist, identified as Tejaswini Rana was present there and deliberately interfered in the matter. This is when the lady pharmacist started misbehaving with Dr Abhishek. Until this point, no video was recorded. Eventually, in the heat of the moment, the irate senior doctor retaliated verbally, which was recorded by someone and circulated widely,” the release stated.
While the doctors claimed that the video was circulated to defame the senior doctor, they also alleged that multiple similar complaints have been raised against pharmacist Manas Ranjan Pati over bad behaviour with doctors.
While the JDA and HS union have complained to superintendent Dr Lalmohan Nayak, they have also demanded an apology from the pharmacist, an arrangement for a separate counter for doctors to facilitate emergency medicine disposal at OPD and appropriate behaviour by pharmacists in the hospital. Superintendent of VIMSAR, Lalmohan Nayak confirmed that he has received a complaint in this connection and assured of taking necessary action.