2 PMCH DOCS IN DOCK FOR FALSE SEXUAL HARASSMENT ALLEGATION

DHANBAD: Filing a false sexual harassment allegation against head of department (HoD) and medical officer has landed two female senior residents (doctors) of Dhanbad’s Patliputra Medical College Hospital (PMCH) in soup.

Earlier on January 10, the two female doctors had levelled sexual harassment charges against head of skin department Dr SK Mandal and senior medical officer Dr A Kanojia. Subsequently, principal secretary, health, Dr Nitin Madan Kulkarni had on January 11 directed PMCH principal Dr Shailendra Kumar to probe the allegation and submit a report in this connection.

Chairman of sexual harassment committee at PMCH Dr Pratibha Roy on Thursday said both the senior residents withdrew their complaints and tendered a written apology for filing false allegations against the HoD and medical officer.

The National Medical Commission (NMC) had in 2013 set up a seven-member sexual harassment committee at PMCH for probing such cases.

In the last eight years, this was the first complaint of sexual harassment filed against senior doctors of PMCH.

“Both the complainants appeared before the sexual harassment committee meeting on Thursday and withdrew their complaints in writing. They also sought an apology for levelling false charges against the HoD, saying that they did it under pressure of work load of patients and punctuality of duty, ” said Dr Roy. On being marked absent for coming late to duty, the two doctors made the false allegation out of frustration, she said.

A senior doctor of PMCH said the since institution was defamed due to the false claims made by the two senior residents, they would be penalised. “I am sending a probe report to principal of college and health department,” said Dr Roy, who is also the head of department of medicine at the institution.

PMCH principal Dr Shailendra Kumar said he was yet to get the probe report.

NMC HAD IN 2013 SET UP A SEVENMEMBER SEXUAL HARASSMENT COMMITTEE AT PMCH IN DHANBAD