The Department of Health and Family Services in Karnataka Sunday suspended a doctor and dismissed another for demanding a bribe to discharge a woman admitted to a community health centre at Bidadi in Ramanagar district.
The action came after a viral video showed Dr Shashikala and Dr Aishwarya, both gynaecologists, demanding a bribe from the husband of the woman. While Shashikala, a government employee, was suspended pending investigation, Dr Aishwarya, who is a contract employee under the National Health Service, was dismissed.
#40PercentSarkara ದ ಆಡಳಿತದಲ್ಲಿ ಸರ್ಕಾರಿ ಆಸ್ಪತ್ರೆಗಳು ಭ್ರಷ್ಟಾಚಾರದಿಂದ ಮೃತ್ಯುಕೂಪಗಳಾಗಿ ಬದಲಾಗಿವೆ.
ಹಣವಿಲ್ಲದಿದ್ದರೆ ಜೀವವೇ ಇಲ್ಲ ಎಂಬಂತಹ ಪರಿಸ್ಥಿತಿ ಸರ್ಕಾರಿ ಅಸ್ಪತ್ರೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿದೆ.ತಮ್ಮ ಇಲಾಖೆಯನ್ನು ಗಮನಿಸದ
ಆರೋಗ್ಯ ಸಚಿವ @mla_sudhakar ಅವರಿಗೆ ಕಾಲಕಾಲಕ್ಕೆ ಕಮಿಷನ್ ತಲುಪಿದರೆ ಸಾಕು ಎಂದು ಕಣ್ಮುಚ್ಚಿ ಕುಳಿತಿದ್ದಾರೆ. pic.twitter.com/3qayRWgphv— Karnataka Congress (@INCKarnataka) November 27, 2022
The order issued by D Randeep, commissioner of the department, said Dr Shashikala was suspended pending departmental inquiry. During the period of suspension, she will serve at a Community Health Centre at Nagamangala in Mandya district.
In the video, the doctors are seen demanding a bribe of Rs 6,000 from Manjunath to discharge his wife Roopa, who had recently delivered a baby, from the hospital. Manjunath is seen pleading in the video to reduce the bribe saying that he could pay only Rs 2,000 as it was the end of the month and he was yet to get his salary.
One of the doctors is then seen saying that one-third of the Rs 6,000 had to be given to a ‘sir’ and the rest was their ‘fee’. The video shows that despite repeated requests, the two doctors refused to budge saying that it would set a precedent as everyone else would come with the same request.
The video soon went viral on social media with several netizens slamming the state government for allowing such corrupt practices to thrive. Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr K Sudhakar had also assured of action soon after the video was shared widely on Saturday.