CHENNAI: The death of a postgraduate doctor of the Madras Medical College (MMC) cannot be attributed to ‘workload’, said Health Minister Ma Subramanian on Tuesday. Dr P Maruthupandian (30) who was pursuing MCh surgical gastroenterology at the hospital was found dead in his flat in Choolaimedu on December 10.
The minister has ordered an inquiry into whether he was on a 24-hour shift on the previous day of his death and if workload was a reason for the tragedy. A case was registered under Section 174 of the CrPC and the doctor’s body was sent for postmortem.
The police said, there were no external injury on his body. MMC, in a press note, said the doctor was not working for 36 hours straight, as reported by media organisations. It is not right to assume his death was due to workload. The real cause can only be ascertained from the autopsy report, they added.
On December 8, the doctor actively participated in a brain-dead individual’s organ retrieval procedure at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital. The release stated he was a keen learner and was in the operation theatre throughout the procedure. He was not assigned with the duty of monitoring the patient, the release added.
Meanwhile, Doctors Association for Social Equality (DASE) demanded to scrap the 24-hour duty and also stressed to form a welfare board for doctors, medical students.