Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The Medical Teachers Association (MTA), Indore branch, on Thursday wrote a letter to Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla, demanding the cancellation of the suspension of Dr Manoj Joshi, a pediatric surgeon, in connection with a rat-bite incident at MY Hospital, Indore, in which two newborn babies died.
According to the MTA letter, doctors have no role in rat control. “Doctors remained busy diagnosing and treating patients referred from various parts of the Indore-Ujjain division.
Under such circumstances, it is not justified to hold them responsible for any administrative lapse,” the MTA added.
The association further said that doctors should not be made scapegoats. It attributed the incident to failures of administration and management. Besides Dr Joshi’s suspension, the nursing superintendent was removed, two nursing officers have been suspended, and a show-cause notice has been issued to the HOD of the pediatrics department.
However the contract of private agency Agile Company, responsible for cleanliness and security, has been terminated, and another contractor, Heights, has been served a notice.
The inquiry report slammed the hospital administration, the outsourced agency, and doctors for gross negligence, highlighting that despite knowledge of the grave situation, doctors failed to alert senior authorities or take urgent steps, leading to the newborns’ deteriorating condition.
