As doctor, facing murder charges, dies by suicide, FORDA calls for proper probe
Dr Archana Sharma allegedly died by suicide after she was booked for the death of the pregnant woman, the police said on Tuesday.
An association of resident doctors has demanded a proper investigation into an incident involving the deaths of a pregnant woman and an obstetrician in Rajasthan’s Dausa. Dr Archana Sharma allegedly died by suicide after she was booked for the death of the pregnant woman, the police said on Tuesday.
An FIR was registered against the doctor at the Lalsot Police Station after family members of the pregnant woman protested outside the hospital, run by Dr Sharma and her husband, demanding immediate action, reported news agency PTI.
Stressed over the FIR, police said, Sharma hanged herself to death.
“The doctor was booked for the death of the pregnant woman due to negligence in treatment. Today afternoon, the doctor hanged herself to death at her residence above the hospital,” PTI quoted Additional SP (Dausa) Lal Chand Kayal as saying.
The Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA) has written to Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot demanding a proper investigation, immediate withdrawal of FIR and compensation to the family in the suicide case of the obstetrician.
In the letter, the association said that the “tragic incident of suicide by Dr Archana Sharma…is a major loss for the state as well as for the nation.”
The association further stated that post-partum haemorrhage is a known complication following delivery in pregnant women and, as per the guidelines of the Supreme Court, a doctor “cannot be accused of medical negligence in any such incident, without proper investigation by an expert committee.”
"While urgent measures should be taken to prevent harassment of doctors by patient's attendants, we also demand that strict compliance to court guidelines should be ensured so that such a tragic incident is never repeated in future," the letter read.
Rajasthan health minister Parsadi Lal Meena said that police should not have booked the doctor under Section 302 when the Supreme Court has already ruled that a case can't be filed against doctors under that Section.
(With inputs from agencies)