The incident came to the fore after the family members of the patient, SK Mujeebuddin, discovered rat bites on his right fingers and toes.
Published Feb 16, 2024 | 4:24 PM ⚊ Updated Feb 16, 2024 | 4:24 PM
Following the rat-bite incident, two doctors and a staff nurse were suspended by the DME. (Supplied)
Telangana’s Director of Medical Education (DME), Dr B Triveni, has revoked the suspension of two doctors and a staff nurse, previously imposed after a patient fell victim to rat bites in the ICU of Government General Hospital (GGH) Kamareddy.
In an order dated 15 February, the DME, declared, “Following a thorough review of the three-member committee’s report on the alleged irregularities involving the doctors and staff nurse, the suspension is hereby revoked with immediate effect.”
One of the suspended doctors, Dr S Vasanth Kumar, had told South First earlier that he was not even present in the hospital when the incident had taken place. “From 9 February till 11 February, I was posted as an examiner on duty at Gandhi Medical College in Secunderabad. I received the (suspension) order last night (11 February). I have no idea why I was suspended, especially when I was not even in charge of the ICU,” Kumar had told South First.
Dr Kavya, the other suspended doctor and an assistant professor, questioned how the morning-duty doctors were responsible for an incident that occurred late in the night.
“How am I responsible for the incident when my duty timing is 9 am to 4 pm?” the duty physician, who denied being in the ICU at the time of the incident, said.
The incident came to the fore after the family members of the patient, SK Mujeebuddin, discovered rat bites on the fingers and toes on the right side of his body.
Mujeebuddin, who is a resident of Kamareddy, was admitted to the ICU at GGH Kamareddy for hypertension-related issues on 31 January. He had undergone surgeries on the head and throat at Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) Hyderabad on 21 January.
“He was in a coma and was on the ventilator. Throughout his admission at the GGH he was totally unconscious,” one of the doctors said.
Following the incident, two on-duty doctors and a staff nurse were suspended by the DME
a three-member committee was formed by the DME, which subsequently cleared the names of the suspended individuals in its report. However, the committee’s findings remain undisclosed to the public.
The Telangana Teaching Government Doctors’ Association (TTGDA) staged protests at hospitals and medical colleges in various districts on 12 February, asserting that the responsibility for the incident lies with the sanitation staff and not the doctors.
Additionally, the TTGDA also demanded structural reforms such as restriction of patient attendants inside hospitals, effective sanitation and security, filling of all vacancies, financial backup for hospitals, strong redressal mechanisms, clear job charts for doctors and staff and proper infrastructure.
