New Delhi: Operations at the emergency ward of Safdarjung Hospital were briefly halted on Monday after a resident doctor allegedly faced verbal abuse from a senior IPS officer whose wife was receiving treatment at the hospital.
According to eyewitnesses, Dr. Lakshya, a resident doctor from the surgery department, was allegedly threatened by Brijendra Kumar Yadav, the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Armed Police and Training in Puducherry, after he found the treatment of his wife unsatisfactory.
His wife, Anita Roy, also an IPS officer, had come to the hospital for postoperative complications after recently undergoing surgery at the Sport Injury Centre (SIC) of the hospital.
The medicos raised complaints with hospital authorities. However, after receiving no satisfactory response, the medical staff halted their duties in the emergency ward. The hospital later asked the IPS couple to leave, allowing the emergency services to resume.
CCTV footage, seen by this newspaper, shows Yadav approaching the resident doctor aggressively, accompanied by a group of men in police uniform. While the video had no sound, it captured Yadav displaying intimidating body language and repeatedly pointing his finger at the doctor.
“The resident doctor was verbally assaulted and threatened regarding his career while assessing the patient on a surgery reference call. My colleagues and seniors expressed their agitation and went to speak with the authorities, but unfortunately, we were not heard satisfactorily and received no response from the concerned consultant in SIC or the hospital authorities. As a result, we were compelled to withdraw our duties in the ER 3 emergency until the issue was properly resolved,” said Dr. Rajat Gangwar, a senior resident doctor at SIC, Safdarjung.
The Residents Doctors' Association (RDA) of the hospital condemned the alleged incident of “verbal harassment and bullying” and demanded an apology from the IPS officer.
“The concerned person, Mr. Brijendra Kumar Yadav (IPS Officer), and the husband of patient Mrs. Anita Roy (admitted to the seventh floor of the SIC building), engaged in behavior that was both disgraceful and unacceptable. Such actions, particularly from a senior government official, are highly condemnable and violate the dignity of healthcare professionals who work tirelessly to serve patients,” the RDA stated.
“The RDA demands an apology from Mr. Brijendra Kumar Yadav to uphold the morale and dignity of healthcare workers. We also call upon the hospital administration and authorities to ensure accountability for this incident and prevent similar occurrences in the future, reinforcing the safety and respect of healthcare professionals within the hospital premises,” it added.