Doctors stage black badge protest against suspensions over rat bite incident

Doctors in Telangana protest suspension of two doctors after patient bitten by rats, stating it is sanitation agency which is responsible and not doctors.

In a display of protest, doctors across Telangana are participating in a collective demonstration by wearing black badges at their respective government hospitals and colleges. This action is a response to the decision by the Director of Medical Education (DME) to suspend two doctors and a staff nurse following an incident at Government General Hospital, Kamareddy, where a patient in the ICU was bitten by rats.

Dr. Jalagam Thirupathi Rao, the State General Secretary of the Telangana Teaching Government Doctors Association (TTGDA), said that the responsibility for rodent-related issues lies with the sanitation staff and not the doctors. He asserted, “The required action should be directed towards the sanitation agency, not the doctors who have no involvement in sanitation matters. We are staging a black badge protest, urging the DME to revoke the suspensions; otherwise, all doctors in the State will march to the DME office on Tuesday.”

Among those suspended is Dr. Vasanth Kumar, an Associate Professor at Kamareddy Government Hospital. Dr. Kumar, who was not present at the hospital on the day of the incident, explained, “From February 9 until now, I have been assigned duties as an external examiner at Gandhi Medical College Hyderabad. Secondly, nobody ever made me in charge of the ICU at the Kamareddy hospital. How can they suspend me when I was not present during the time of the incident?”

Another doctor revealed that the duty doctor was the individual who found the patient in that state and conducted an examination for injuries. “Was it inappropriate for the duty doctor to conduct rounds and assess the patient’s condition?” he asked.

An inquiry by a team of health department officials is scheduled for Monday, after which the suspended doctors plan to present their side of the story to the DME.