The Himachal Pradesh government ended the employment of Dr Raghav Narula right away, following an internal investigation which proved he had acted badly during a fight with a patient in the lung disease section. This came about after a video of the doctor hitting the patient became very popular, causing anger, hospital protests, and a quick response from people in charge.
Officials in the Department of Health and Family Welfare said Dr Narula, 31, who was a senior resident in the Pulmonary Medicine Department at Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital, Shimla, had been dismissed.
Clause 9 of the Resident Doctor Policy 2025 was used when the order to end his employment was given. He had been suspended on Monday evening while the investigation was carried out. The action was taken two days after the event, to show the administration would not accept any violence in a public hospital.
Investigation shows both at fault
A group set up by the Director of Medical Education and Research looked into the fight, and gave its conclusions in 24 hours. The report said both Dr Narula and the patient, Arjun Singh, 34, were to blame for what happened.
The order called the behaviour misconduct, rude behaviour, and actions which did not suit a public worker. It also said the Resident Doctor Policy 2025 – which sets the standards for how resident doctors in Himachal Pradesh should act – had been broken.
The Directorate of Medical Education gave the order to end Dr Narula’s employment on December 24th, after getting the first report from the IGMC group, through the college head. The aim of this is to bring back order and belief in the state’s best medical college.
Video going round, FIR and different stories
The fight took place in the lung disease section on Monday and was filmed on a mobile phone. The video which became popular shows Dr Narula punching the patient, and Singh trying to kick the doctor. This caused the public to be very upset and to ask for someone to be held responsible.
After the event, people with the patient made an FIR against the doctor. Police have started to collect statements from people who saw what happened and hospital staff. More legal actions are expected as the investigation goes on.
Arjun Singh, a teacher from Shimla who had had a bronchoscopy, said the trouble started when the doctor spoke to him using ‘tu’ instead of ‘tum’. He said he was finding it hard to breathe after the operation, and objected to the doctor’s tone, and the argument got worse after that.
Narula did not agree with this, saying the patient used bad language towards him and his family. He said the video which was widely shared only showed part of what happened and did not show all the events which led to the fight.
A second clip appeared on Wednesday where the doctor is heard telling the patient, ‘You are only four years older than me.’ In the earlier video, another doctor is seen trying to hold back the patient’s legs. The patient later named two doctors in his police report.
Political and institutional response
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu asked for a full report and told people to complete the investigation in 24 hours. Health Minister Dhani Ram Shandil said the event was regrettable and all aspects were being looked into to make sure a fair result was reached.
The fight caused protests at IGMC, and police were sent to calm things down. The Shimla Association of Medical and Dental College Teachers asked for a clear investigation and warned of protests all over the state if the people who were said to have started the crowd were not found.
The Resident Doctors Association of IGMC supported the doctor, saying the patient had behaved badly and used rude language when asked for his medical records. The association also asked people in charge to look at what an angry crowd – which was said to have attacked doctors inside the hospital – had done.
Wider results for hospital safety and policy
What has happened has started debate again about behaviour at work, the rights of patients, and the safety of those who give health care in busy government hospitals. It also shows how videos which go round can change what the public thinks and speed up actions by those in charge in difficult situations.
Leaders of hospitals and those who make policy are expected to look at rules about how to speak to people, how to calm situations down, and safety in wards. Making sure doctors and patients have safe, respectful dealings with each other is at the centre of good care, especially in sections which cause a lot of stress, like lung medicine.
For now, the Himachal Pradesh government ending the employment of the IGMC doctor shows how seriously they take professional behaviour. With the FIR being investigated, the legal process will decide if there is criminal responsibility, while the institution tries to get back belief after a difficult week.
