Sassoon hospital prison panel head resigns

Dr Dhivare, who is also the deputy superintendent of Sassoon General Hospital, was appointed chairman of the prison committee on September 27

Following the escape of drug kingpin Lalit Patil from Sassoon General Hospital (SGH) on October 2, Dr Sujit Dhivare has resigned as the hospital’s chairman of prison committee, officials said on Saturday.

The prison panel decides on admission, duration of stay and discharge of jail inmates admitted at the hospital. (HT PHOTO)

The prison panel decides on admission, duration of stay and discharge of jail inmates admitted at the hospital.

Dr Dhivare, who is also the deputy superintendent of Sassoon General Hospital, was appointed chairman of the prison committee on September 27.

Lalit Patil (34), an undertrial lodged at Yerawada Central Jail, managed to give the authorities the slip when he was admitted to ward number 16 of Sassoon General Hospital on October 2.

An anti-narcotics cell raid on September 30 found Subhash Janaki Mandal, 29, Patil’s aide, in possession of 1.71 kg and 53 mg of mephedrone (MD) valued at ₹2.14 crore.

Dr Dhivare’s resignation was delayed as there were three government holidays and he was out for medical camps for the next two days.

Dr Sanjiv Thakur, dean of BJMC, said, “Dr Dhivare has submitted his resignation citing workload. We are asking other officials to come forward to take the responsibility. It is difficult for us to change the chairman after every one or two months. However, the unnecessary targeting of staff and officials after the incident has demoralised them.”

Meanwhile, on Friday the four-member committee appointed under Dr Dileep Mhaisekar, director of medical education and research (DMER), to investigate the laxity at SGH in the escape of Lalit Patil case submitted their report to the state medical education commissioner.

Mhaisekar said the report has been handed over to state medical education commissioner Rajiv Nivatkar.