Copyright timesnownews
Ahmedabad: A disturbing video from Ahmedabad’s Sola Civil Hospital has gone viral, showing a resident paediatrician misbehaving with a patient’s family and refusing to treat a sick child. The video, shot by the child’s uncle, has prompted the Gujarat Health Minister to order an immediate inquiry into the matter. The incident occurred on the night of 26 October, when Ajay Chawda brought his young niece to Sola Civil Hospital after she developed a high fever and severe breathing difficulty due to a persistent cough. “My niece had been running a mild fever for two days, but by evening it got worse. She was struggling to breathe, so we rushed her to Sola Civil. My brother works there as an electrician, so we thought we’d get quick help,” Ajay said. However, when they arrived at the paediatrics department, there was no doctor on duty. After some time, a female resident doctor appeared and reportedly began scolding the family over how the thermometer was placed under the child’s arm, outside her T-shirt. When the family tried to explain that a hospital staff member had placed it that way, the doctor allegedly became aggressive, raising her voice and arguing with them. “I asked her to speak politely, but she said that’s just how her voice is,” Ajay recalled. Video: Things escalated when Ajay began recording the incident. The doctor allegedly struck his hand and hit his brother in the stomach before declaring that she would not treat the child. “She told us to go wherever we wanted, even to the Chief Minister, but she wouldn’t treat us,” he claimed. Health Minister Orders Inquiry Following the video’s circulation, State Health Minister Praful Panseriya ordered a probe into the matter, stating that no act of misbehaviour by medical staff would be tolerated. “If any staff or official is found misbehaving with patients, strict and impartial action will be taken,” he said. Hospital authorities have since intervened, and the child reportedly received medical attention after the Chief Medical Officer requested the family to delete the video.
