Senior govt doctor in Kerala booked for sexual harassment of his junior
Kochi (PTI): Kerala police on Sunday registered a case against a senior doctor of the General Hospital here who was accused of making unwarranted sexual advances towards a junior doctor by forcibly hugging and kissing her in his private consultation room four years ago.
The case was registered against the doctor, a general physician and who was then Head of the Department of Medicine, in 2019 when the incident happened, police said.
"A case was registered based on a complaint received through e-mail. The statement of the complainant will be recorded soon and necessary action will be taken accordingly," a senior police official told PTI.
A female doctor had recently, through a Facebook post, made the allegations prompting Kerala Health Minister Veena George to order an investigation into the complaint.
In the Facebook post, the doctor, who is currently employed abroad, claimed that the then Head of the Department of Medicine had "physically assaulted" her in his private consultation room outside the hospital quarters.
She said she was an intern at the time and had gone to him to make an official complaint against a senior consultant.
"I went alone, as it was 7 pm and I was getting ready to leave. He hugged and kissed me on my face, holding me close to him. I froze, and pulled myself away. I complained to the higher officials the next day. No action was initiated initially. I was in the middle of my internship and didn't further make any complaints as he was a senior official and had the power to sabotage my internship certification process. I was scared," she wrote.
She said that the senior doctor was recently transferred to another hospital, and no strict action was taken against him other than stalling his promotion.
The young doctor said it took her years to even talk about this issue openly.
"I want to expose the predator and make sure everyone knows about his antics. And the female doctors, including myself, whom he abused, should receive justice. Such doctors are a disgrace to society and must not be allowed to practise. I'm hoping my post reaches the right people, who will take stringent action against such perverts," she said.
The health department had also initiated a probe whether there were any attempts to downplay the incident in 2019.
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TN youth from UAE has tested negative for Mpox: Health Minister Subramanian
Chennai, Nov 2: A 27-year-old native of Thiruvarur district, who had arrived from Sharjah, has tested negative for monkey pox, Health Minister Ma Subramanian said here on Saturday.
Test results from both the King Institute of Preventive Medicine and Research here and the Pune-based National Institute of Virology have show negative for Mpox virus, the minister said.
Subramanian had earlier in the day told reporters that result was awaited for the sample that had been dispatched to the NIV while test result from King Institute ruled out monkey pox.
On October 31, upon his arrival at Tiruchirappalli airport from the UAE, during screening, the young man displayed fever symptoms and small skin lesions. Hence, he was taken to a government hospital.
Subramanian said the returnee had been frightened and hence left for his hometown of Valangaiman in Thiruvarur district. "This treatment is for his good and in order to prevent the spread of infection," the minister said.
Hence, he was brought back to the hospital by the authorities with police help and he has been receiving good treatment at the state-run facility. Further, Subramanian said that the test result from the government-run King Institute indicated Chickenpox and marked negative for presence of Mpox.
Screening at airports for passengers arriving from foreign countries is going on continuously in the state and international airports have dedicated isolated rooms.
Special wards are ready in government medical college hospitals, including those in Chennai and Tiruchirappalli, to provide treatment for Mpox, in case anyone tests positive for the infection, the minister added.
