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As resident doctors across Himachal Pradesh had announced to proceed on a day-long mass leave on Friday, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu assured a fresh inquiry into the patient assault controversy that led to the termination of a senior resident doctor at Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC), Shimla.
Following a meeting with the Resident Doctors Association (RDA), its president, Dr Sohil Sharma, told mediapersons that the Chief Minister had agreed to re-investigate the case and consider all evidence placed before him. "Our main demand was the revocation of Dr Raghav Nirula's termination. The Chief Minister assured us that a fresh inquiry would be conducted and that he had taken cognisance of the documents and evidence shown to him," said Sharma. The doctors had announced the mass leave to protest the termination of Dr Raghav Nirula, a senior resident in the Department of Pulmonary Medicine at IGMC. His services were terminated after a video showing a physical altercation between him and a patient went viral on social media. The incident, which occurred on December 22, involved Dr Nirula and a 36-year-old patient, Arjun Pawar, a resident of Chopal. Apart from terminating the doctor's services, Shimla police registered an FIR against him at the Shimla Sadar Police Station under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). While the state government acted swiftly to terminate the doctor on Wednesday, the RDA has termed the action disproportionate, claiming that an internal inquiry committee of the medical college had found both the doctor and the patient responsible for the incident. Dr Sharma further said that the RDA had also raised concerns over the alleged mistreatment and humiliation of doctors during another incident in the Medicine ward at IGMC. "The Chief Minister has assured that action will be taken in that matter as well," he said. On the issue of safety, Sharma said the RDA had sought stronger security measures for doctors in hospital premises, wards and operating theatres. "The Chief Minister has assured that new guidelines and instructions will be issued to ensure the safety of doctors," he added. Commenting on next steps, Sharma said the RDA would convene a general house meeting later on Wednesday to decide on further action. (ANI)
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