Etawah doctors protest after police allegedly take govt doctor from emergency duty

A major controversy erupted in Etawah after police personnel allegedly took a doctor on emergency duty from the District Hospital without prior notice, late Wednesday night.

The incident, reportedly linked to the ill health of the SSP’s mother, triggered a strong backlash from the medical community, leading to a temporary shutdown of OPD services on Thursday.

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According to sources, Dr. Rahul Babu and pharmacist Sharad Yadav were on duty in the emergency ward when, around 11 PM, the Station House Officer (SHO) of Civil Lines, along with three to four police personnel, allegedly arrived and forcibly took them away.

In his formal complaint, Dr. Rahul claimed that the police misbehaved with him and used abusive language. He also stated that a sub-inspector at the police station took away his mobile phone, and after being held at the station, they were later taken to SSP Chowraha, only to be told that a private doctor had already arrived to attend to the SSP’s mother. They were then released.

Outraged by the incident, representatives from the State Employees Union, PMS Association, and Diploma Pharmacist Association gathered at the district hospital on Thursday morning. They locked the doctor’s chamber and pharmacy room and halted OPD services, demanding action against the involved police personnel. A protest was held in the hospital auditorium, where they insisted that an FIR be filed against the police officers involved.

Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr. Brijendra Kumar Singh rushed to the spot to pacify the agitated healthcare workers. He acknowledged that taking a government doctor away from emergency duty without authorization is unlawful. “If there was any urgent requirement, the police should have contacted the hospital superintendent or me. We could have arranged for another doctor,” he stated.

Following discussions and an assurance of proper investigation and action, the protesting medical staff resumed OPD services.

SSP Brajesh Kumar Srivastava, however, denied any knowledge of the incident. He stated that private doctors had already been sent to attend to his mother before any government medical personnel were brought. “I am unaware of the incident. If something inappropriate happened, the doctor should have reported it to me. As far as I know, no misbehavior occurred,” he said, dismissing the allegations as false.