A doctor from Gujarat’s Botad district has been arrested after he allegedly performed a caesarian surgery in an inebriated state which ultimately led to the death of both the baby and the mother.
The senior doctor is also the chief medical officer of Botad’s government-run Sonawala Hospital. The 22-year-old woman, Kaminiben Chanchiya was brought to the hospital when she started having labour pains on the night of November 26.
Paresh Lakhani, the accused, was arrested and investigations have been started to determine whether it was his negligence that caused the deaths or any other medical ailments involved. The accused is a senior doctor who has worked in the hospital for 15 years. He has been arrested under Prohibitions Act.
After the delivery, the mother started bleeding profusely and she had to be immediately shifted to a private hospital. She reportedly died on the way. The child also died sometime after the mother’s death. The kin of the victim has alleged negligence on the part of the doctor.
“The police found that the doctor was drunk while on duty. He was first booked under the Prohibition Act and was arrested. His blood sample was sent for testing,” said Botad Superintendent of Police Harshad Mehta. The man was found to be drunk in the initial breathalyser test.
The SP further said that the bodies have been sent for postmortem to determine whether the deaths were due to negligence. “As per Supreme Court guidelines, only a committee headed by a civil surgeon can determine negligence charges. If the report is positive, we will book him under provisions of IPC related to negligence,” he said, reported India Today.
The Logical Indian Take
Doctors have the most important responsibility in their hands. They are the life-saver often compared to God. Their irresponsible behaviour and negligence can directly lead to death. Even if it is found that the doctor’s negligence did not cause the deaths, he has the responsibility of ensuring that his patients get the best care. Being drunk on the job shows that his judgement and precision was compromised which probably led to the death of the mother and child duo. We hope strict action is taken against him so that further mishaps can be avoided. Also, there should be provisions of counselling and support to doctors who often turn to drink in order to cope with the immense stress of their daily work.
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