the goan I network
PANAJI
Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC) dean Dr Pradeep Naik on Monday was forced to apologise to a lady resident doctor of the hospital after a group of resident doctors allegedly confronted him and threatened a strike.
The incident took place after a first year junior resident was allegedly taken to meet the Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, who told her to apologise to St Cruz MLA Tony Fernandes for not attending to his demand at the hospital immediately, as she was busy with a more urgent case.
Fed up with the constant political pressure that resident doctors at the hospital allegedly have to face on quite a regular basis, the doctors decided they had had enough of political interference, and to take the matter seriously as they could not work under pressure.
Fernandes went to the hospital on Sunday morning, when the lady doctor in question was on duty. He asked about the condition of one of the patients. The lady doctor in question did not know Fernandes’ identity, neither did he identify himself.
Since she was unaware of the condition of the patient he was inquiring about, she asked him for some time.
However, since a new patient who needed urgent attention came to the ward at that time, she got busy with that patient.
Fernandes allegedly approached her twice more asking for information, but she politely told him to wait till she was done with the urgent case she was occupied with. According to sources, Fernandes got furious and told her he was an MLA and that he would see what was to be done, before leaving the ward.
The news then reached Rane, who told the Dean to get the lady resident to his office.
Without any official letter regarding the same, the dean took the doctor to meet Rane who allegedly threatened her with suspension.
Scared, she started crying and wrote a letter of apology to Fernandes, which was allegedly dictated by the Dean.
This prompted the other residents to confront the Dean about the harassment meted out to the lady doctor. When contacted, a resident doctor told ‘The Goan’, “The matter is now resolved.”
