Medical Officer Of Rajkot Civil Hospital Booked After Assault On Woman Resident Doctor

The Gujarat Police Thursday booked the medical officer of Rajkot Civil Hospital on charges of physically and verbally abusing an on-duty woman resident doctor.

In the wake of the incident, the health department replaced in-charge Medical Superintendent Dr Monali Makadia with Dr Kamal Dodia, who is the head of the ophthalmology department at the adjoining PDU Medical College.

In a post on X, Health Minister Praful Pansheriya posted, “The state government has taken the incident of misconduct with a female doctor at Rajkot Civil Hospital with utmost seriousness. It has assured prompt justice and complete safety to the victim female doctor through telephonic conversation by evening.”

The First Information Report (FIR) registered in the case has stated that the junior doctor was on duty in the emergency ward of Rajkot Civil Hospital when an elderly woman patient was brought in at about 7.30 pm on Thursday. Since the condition of the patient was serious, the junior doctor informed her senior Dr Ramani, that “the woman needed to be put on a ventilator, but Dr Ramani paid no heed to her and told her to send the patient to the general ward.”

When the junior doctor again informed Dr Ramani about the requirement of the patient, the latter allegedly got angry, swore at her and slapped her. The guards and other staff rushed to the scene of commotion and took Dr Ramani aside. The incident was captured on the CCTV camera in the emergency ward of the hospital.

Dr Ramani has been booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Sections 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 352 (intentional insult meant to provoke breach of peace), and 351(2) (criminal intimidation).

Hospital authorities told The Indian Express that the college council has sent its recommendations to the state health department regarding further action against Dr Ramani.

Brendan Dabhi works with The Indian Express, focusing his comprehensive reporting primarily on Gujarat. He covers the region's most critical social, legal, and administrative sectors, notably specializing at the intersection of health, social justice, and disasters. Expertise Health and Public Policy: He has deep expertise in healthcare issues, including rare diseases, Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), the complex logistics of organ transplants, and public health challenges like drug-resistant TB and heat health surveillance. His on-ground reporting during the COVID-19 pandemic and Mucormycosis was critical in exposing healthcare challenges faced by marginalized communities in Gujarat. Social Justice and Legal Administration: He reports on the functioning of the legal and police system, including the impact of judicial philosophy, forensics and crucial administrative reforms (. He covers major surveillance and crackdown exercises by the Gujarat police and security on the international border. Disaster and Crisis Management: His work closely tracks how government and civic bodies respond to large-scale crises, providing essential coverage on the human and administrative fallout of disasters including cyclones, floods, conflict, major fires and reported extensively on the AI 171 crash in Ahmedabad. Civic Infrastructure and Governance: Provides timely reports on critical civic failures, including large scale infrastructure projects by the railways and civic bodies, as well as the enforcement of municipal regulations and their impact on residents and heritage. ... Read More