Doctors accused of laxity on warpath

Amid ongoing protests by doctors working in government hospitals in Telangana over inadequate facilities, a group of doctors at Nalgonda Government Hospital are fighting a different battle—defending their integrity after being blamed for incidents that occurred while they were on duty.
Over the past week, the Gynaecology Department at Nalgonda Government Hospital has faced scrutiny after a series of incidents, including one in which a pregnant woman gave birth on a chair in hospital. The incident attracted public attention after the woman’s relatives shared pictures on social media, which were quickly picked up by news outlets.
In response, District Additional Collector (Local Bodies) T Purnachander issued show-cause notice to four staff nurses and the duty doctor, accusing them of negligence.
The doctors, however, argued that they were not given a chance to present their side of the story before the notices were issued. Dr Nikitha, an Assistant Professor in the Gynaecology Department, spoke to The Pioneer, explaining the circumstances of the incident. “The incident happened after midnight on August 22. The woman was asked to wait outside due to limited space, as we only have four beds in labour ward and had already handled five to six deliveries. While she waited, she walked to the washroom and ended up delivering on a chair. There was no negligence on our part. We are doing our best with the limited resources available,” she said.
In protest against the show-cause notices, seven gynaecologists from the hospital went on mass leave. After a late-night discussion with the Collector on Monday, the doctors agreed to return to work, and the notices were withdrawn.
Dr Abdul, President of the Junior Doctors Association in Nalgonda, highlighted the chronic staffing shortages at the hospital. “Our Gynaecology Department should have 24 doctors, but we only have 10, including five Assistant Professors, one Associate Professor, one professor, and three senior residents. We have repeatedly brought these issues to the Collector’s attention, but no action has been taken. It’s unfair to blame doctors who are doing their jobs under such challenging conditions,” he stated.
The Pioneer  tried to contact Nalgonda Collector C Narayana Reddy for comment, but there is no response.