DME inquiry panel questions three Coimbatore doctors accused of torturing colleague

COIMBATORE: A committee appointed by the Directorate of Medical Education on Wednesday questioned three doctors at the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH), who were accused of torturing a colleague.
The committee comprising senior doctors Dr Madhavan, Dr Sujatha and Dr Madhesh questioned three doctors of the pediatric department at the hospital.
It had also summoned former professor of surgery Dr S Mohan, former resident medical officer Dr P Sivaprakasam and senior doctor V Kumaran.The senior doctors were summoned because they were accused of not acting on his complaints and always making decisions against him.
The committee was sent based on the directive of the state human rights commission which acted on a complaint filed with it in 2009 by Dr A Lakshmanasamy, who is an associate professor of the pediatrics department.
In his complaint, Lakshmanasamy had stated that senior professor of surgery Dr Anbazhagan and associate professor Dr Vanitha and pediatrician V Bhooma were responsible for his family’s breakup and for his career getting destroyed. He accused them of harassing him.
“In 2006 when a child was brought in a critical condition, Dr Vanitha and I had an argument over whether the baby could be saved. Since I overruled her and saved the baby, the senior professor and Dr Vanitha began to torture me,” he said.
The doctor claimed that his colleagues had bribed the child’s father to file a complaint accusing him of having an affair with his wife. “They got a Tamil daily report the issue. They defamed me and the child’s parents got divorced,” he said.
“When I decided to fight back by filing a police complaint against the child’s father and a defamation suit, the doctors began to torture me, forcing me to work even when I was advised bed rest and then claiming that I did not report to work,” he said.
The doctor claimed that he had not received increment, promotion and salary benefits since January 1, 2006.