Panel set up to probe slapgate

Mohit Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 24

A day after an HIV patient was allegedly thrashed by a doctor at the PGI, the project director of the Chandigarh State AIDS Control Society, Dr Vanita Gupta, formed a committee to probe the incident.

Confirming the development, Dr Gupta said the team would investigate the cause behind the incident and submit its report.

The team visited the PGI on Tuesday and took the versions of the doctor concerned and the staff that were present on Monday to find out what led to the incident.

The HIV patient, who had allegedly accused the doctor of thrashing him, said no one contacted him for recording his statement.

High drama had taken place on the second floor of the New OPD at the PGI on Monday when a woman doctor allegedly slapped and thrashed the HIV patient in full public view.

The 37-year-old HIV patient had come for a check-up of his visually impaired wife, who is also suffering from HIV. The incident occurred around 10 am when Ramesh (name changed) from Ambala was standing in a queue along with his wife outside the antiretroviral therapy (ART) ward.

Ramesh said he was reprimanding a man who blocked the passage, but the doctor thought that he was mocking at her. The doctor got infuriated and slapped him.

Behaviour classes for doctors in May

After Monday’s incident, the PGI Director, Prof Jagat Ram, said behaviour classes for doctors would start in the second week of May. In January this year, the PGI Director had stated that resident doctors would attend classes to improve their behaviour. A group of senior doctors was asked to teach resident doctors how to deal with patients properly. An emeritus professor and renowned ophthalmologist, Dr Amod Gupta, was made the head of the committee, which was supposed to hold orientation classes for the resident doctors. The step was taken following a spurt in the number of complaints of misbehaviour against junior doctors.