
Mumbai, Oct 11 (IANS) In a shocking incident, a first-year resident doctor allegedly committed suicide in Mumbai’s Sion hospital, police said on Sunday.
According to officials, the deceased doctor has been identified as Shivsharan Patil.
According to preliminary information, Dr Patil’s body was found last night in the bathroom of his hostel room. The hospital administration and the police were subsequently informed.
It is suspected that he died by suicide after taking an overdose of anaesthesia.
Dr Patil was a first-year postgraduate student in the Department of Surgery at Sion Hospital, police said.
Investigation into the incident is currently underway.
A similar case was reported in August from a hospital in Gujarat’s Surat where a first-year resident doctor allegedly committed suicide.
The incident took place at Surat’s New Civil Hospital, following which four senior doctors were suspended after a state-appointed enquiry into the case found evidence of ragging and mental harassment, Gujarat Health Minister Praful Pansheriya had said.
A forensic post-mortem was also ordered as part of the enquiry. According to the preliminary report of the Anti-Ragging Committee, four senior doctors found directly responsible for causing mental harassment have been suspended with immediate effect.
The Head of Department of the department concerned at New Civil Hospital, along with teaching staff, were also served show-cause notices for allegedly failing to fulfil their responsibility of ensuring the safety and proper management of junior doctors.
“No suicide note was found,” the minister said. However, statements recorded from the deceased doctor’s fellow students indicated that the doctor had allegedly been repeatedly subjected to mental harassment and torture by senior doctors.
Pansheriya said the findings had prompted the Gujarat government to take strict action against those found responsible. “Harassing junior doctors is not our culture,” he said, while warning senior doctors against ragging and mental harassment.
–IANS
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