Doctors Fight Inside Operation Theatre in Jodhpur, Newborn Dies

Jodhpur: In a startling video recording, a group of doctors at the Umaid Hospital in Jodhpur can be seen arguing over who should operate over a patient, while a pregnant woman lies on the bed. The 30-minute long fight went on even as the woman’s newborn baby was dying in front of them.

While two of the accused doctors have been suspended after the incident, the Rajasthan health minister has said that an inquiry committee has been set up and those guilty will be taken into account. No FIR has been lodged so far.

The Rajasthan High Court has taken cognizance of the incident and asked for a probe to be conducted by a panel that includes a judicial officer. The HC has sought a report within a weeks' time. The matter will next come up for hearing on September 4.

One of the suspended doctors, Dr ML Tak, while speaking to CNN-News18, said, "The other doctor was arguing with me while I was trying to administer anaesthesia on the child. I was trying to save its life. I have raised the issue with the principal."

In the video, it can be seen that the pregnant woman is lying on the operation table while the heartbeat of her newborn baby kept dipping. The doctors can be seen getting into a bitter fight with the esteemed medical practitioners hurling abuses at each other.

One of them can be heard saying, “Stay within your limits", while the other replies, “You will pay for this".

According to a CNN-News 18 report, the other doctor involved in the fight, Dr Ashok Naniwal said, "The video shows the patient of another doctor, while my patient and her baby was in good health. The other doctors who were abusing me and laughing at my expense were not attending to their patient well, who died at the end."

Indian Medical Association President Dr KK Agarwal said that the board will wait for the inquiry report to take any action in the case.

Health minister, Kali Charan Saraf told CNN-News18, “We are waiting for the findings of an enquiry committee and will definitely take strict action against those guilty. We are yet to know the cause of the death."

The Jodhpur incident comes just weeks after another case of medical negligence in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, that killed over 60 children at a government hospital. The incident rocked the entire nation and forced authorities to take note of the pathetic condition of healthcare services in the country.