IMA forms panel to probe cases of medical negligence

Sumeer Singh

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, April 21

Following the recent spike in alleged medical negligence cases in the city, the local unit of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has formed a committee to probe such cases in future. The move is aimed at protecting the medical fraternity from harassment and strengthening “degrading” doctor-patient relations.

In a first, the committee will investigate an alleged case of medical negligence at Indrani Hospital in April 10 where doctors were “roughed up” by family members and relatives of a patient before walking away with money citing medical negligence.

Talking to The Tribune, Vikas Chhabra, president of the Bathinda IMA, said, “In the past one year, six cases of alleged medical negligence have come up. It is a big number for a city like Bathinda. Earlier, only one or two cases used to be reported, but it seems that people are gradually losing faith in the medical profession. So it is vital that we restore that faith by keeping an eye against both blackmailing by family of patients and by practicing medical profession judiciously.”

Chhabra said, “To nip it in the bud before it assumes alarming proportions, we need to introspect to know what is going wrong so that it can be rectified in a timely manner. It is high time that we make strenuous efforts to restore faith of city residents in the medical profession.”

“Just as not every case of medical negligence (as claimed by family members of patient) can be genuine, a doctor can also be driven by commercial motives. Similarly, as there are “black sheeps” in every profession, identifying them with thorough a probe and penalising them will be a priority. Strict action will be taken against the family members of patients who in the name of medical negligence extort money from doctors or hospitals,” added Chhabra.

Scrutinising evidences from both parties while conducting unbiased investigations in alleged medical negligence cases and exploring legal options would also remain a priority, said an executive member of the IMA. At present, there are more than 500 members registered with the local unit of the IMA.