Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 24: The Government of J&K UT today placed five doctors of Govt Medical College Rajouri under suspension after the death of a woman hailing from Badaal village of Khawas, in Budhal tehsil of Rajouri district on Monday.
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With this death of woman yesterday, the death toll in Badaal village of Budhal due to “some mysterious disease/ suspected food poisoning” , as claimed by the doctors of J&K Health department/ GMC Rajouri in the district, has reached up to 9. This woman-Razeem Begum, wife of Mohd Rafiq, has already lost her three children due to ‘unknown disease’.
Official sources said that the Government took serious note of the issue. Following directions from the higher authorities in the Health and Medical Education department, Principal of GMC Rajouri, Dr A S Bhatia today placed five doctors under suspension. He also sought explanation from several other staff members at GMC Rajouri.
Demonstrating a firm commitment to transparency and the high standards of medical care, Dr. Bhatia has initiated disciplinary measures and ordered a comprehensive inquiry into the any type of lapse in the medical care during patients’ stay in hospital.
Five Medical Officers suspended included- Dr Veenu Bharti and Dr Neetu from Obstetrics & Gynaecology and Dr Shakir Ahmad Parry, Dr Shafkat Ullah, and Dr Anif Saleem Rather from Casualty wing. These doctors were on duty during the critical hours of the incident on December 22, 2024. Pending inquiry’s outcome, the suspended staff members have been attached to the office of the Medical Superintendent of Associated Hospital of GMC Rajouri.
GMC Principal, Dr Bhatia has sought detailed explanations from on-call doctors, including Dr Devinder Kumar (Obstetrics & Gynaecology) and Dr Barinder Kumar (General Surgery), regarding their actions and decisions during the incident.
Nursing and support staff on duty, including Nawaz Ali, Qamran Tariq Dar, Tariq Abbas, Jagdev Raj, Shahnaz Akhter, Tazeem Akhter, Rajni Kohli and Prabhleen Kour, have also been directed to provide comprehensive reports on their roles and adherence to institutional protocols.
Dr Bhatia reassured a transparent and thorough inquiry, emphasizing that any lapses in duty or negligence would be dealt with strictly. “This unfortunate loss of life is deeply saddening. Immediate action has been taken to ensure accountability, and the inquiry will identify gaps in our system so that such incidents do not recur,” he stated.
It is pertinent to mention here that Directorate of Health Services Jammu, GMC Rajouri and CMO Rajouri had sent teams to the area to take samples of food and other medicines consumed by children and other family members of Badaal village. Even Deputy Commissioner Rajouri also visited twice to the area. But unfortunately, the teams from GMC and Health department have remained clueless so far over the issue. A sense of fear is prevailing among the people of the area.
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