Will You Go To Hospital And Apologise To That Doctor? What Goa Minister Told NDTV
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Summary is AI generated, newsroom reviewed.
Goa's health minister, Vishwajit Rane, faced backlash after suspending a doctor for patient care issues. He apologized but refused to do so again, insisting he has served the public. Doctors have demand an in-person apology, threatening strike
New Delhi:
Vishwajit Rane, the health minister of Goa who stirred up controversy after suspending a doctor over patient care and then apologising, said he would not apologise again. The doctors, who were on warpath, have refused to accept his apology and have demanded that he apologise in person to the doctor concerned.
"No, I've already apologized... I think I have apologized to the doctor on national TV. And what more can one expect?" Mr Rane told NDTV in an exclusive interview when asked about the matter. "I'm not here to become a Nayak or become anybody. I'm here to serve the people of the state of Goa and ensure the best of medical facilities are available to the people of Goa," he added.
Mr Rane's run in with Dr Rudresh Kuttikar of Goa Medical College and Hospital or GMCH took place during his surprise visit to the premier facility on Saturday.
He apparently caught the medical personnel refusing to treat a patient and suspended the CMO in public. Soon after a cell phone video of the encounter appeared on social media, sparking a massive protest by doctors.
Despite his apology -- first on social media and then on television -- Mr Rane is facing severe backlash from organisations including the Indian Medical Association and Goa Association of Resident Doctors, that have threatened strike.
Asked about the matter, Mr Rane said, "I don't think this is appropriate. I think from both sides, we need to take two steps back. We cannot put the patients at risk. I've always been saying that I'm here for the people of the state of Goa".
The minister said he had confronted the doctor after a patient he knew called up for help because he was not getting treatment. "The whole trouble was that when a patient of 77 years doesn't get treatment or doesn't get an injection or whatever the reason may be, I think that thing just pained me," he said.
"I was just in the initial part of the video, which has gone viral, is the part where I was pulling him up, which was I said the words and methodology was not appropriate... (but) it was very important for us to see that why was he rude to the particular lady and that was I should have actually heard him out," he added.
While Chief Minister has cancelled the suspension of the doctor concerned, the minister clarified that his was not a case of change of heart because of any reprimand from Pramod Sawant.
"We are colleagues. We are all working together. There's no question of any reprimand and all here. I have, I myself, when the chief minister called me, I said, there's no question of suspension... I never moved any kind of note for suspension. And the doctor has never been suspended," he added.
Asked if he would like to apologise again through NDTV, Mr Rane said, "I would like to tell him that I have apologised to you and your family, doctor, and you should accept that apology... I don't think such behaviour on my part would be there again... And it's important both of us work together as a team... Our issue is we can both settle down and have a cup of tea together and resolve the issue".
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NDTV
13 hours ago
- NDTV
Will You Go To Hospital And Apologise To That Doctor? What Goa Minister Told NDTV
Quick Read Summary is AI generated, newsroom reviewed. Goa's health minister, Vishwajit Rane, faced backlash after suspending a doctor for patient care issues. He apologized but refused to do so again, insisting he has served the public. Doctors have demand an in-person apology, threatening strike New Delhi: Vishwajit Rane, the health minister of Goa who stirred up controversy after suspending a doctor over patient care and then apologising, said he would not apologise again. The doctors, who were on warpath, have refused to accept his apology and have demanded that he apologise in person to the doctor concerned. "No, I've already apologized... I think I have apologized to the doctor on national TV. And what more can one expect?" Mr Rane told NDTV in an exclusive interview when asked about the matter. "I'm not here to become a Nayak or become anybody. I'm here to serve the people of the state of Goa and ensure the best of medical facilities are available to the people of Goa," he added. Mr Rane's run in with Dr Rudresh Kuttikar of Goa Medical College and Hospital or GMCH took place during his surprise visit to the premier facility on Saturday. He apparently caught the medical personnel refusing to treat a patient and suspended the CMO in public. Soon after a cell phone video of the encounter appeared on social media, sparking a massive protest by doctors. Despite his apology -- first on social media and then on television -- Mr Rane is facing severe backlash from organisations including the Indian Medical Association and Goa Association of Resident Doctors, that have threatened strike. Asked about the matter, Mr Rane said, "I don't think this is appropriate. I think from both sides, we need to take two steps back. We cannot put the patients at risk. I've always been saying that I'm here for the people of the state of Goa". The minister said he had confronted the doctor after a patient he knew called up for help because he was not getting treatment. "The whole trouble was that when a patient of 77 years doesn't get treatment or doesn't get an injection or whatever the reason may be, I think that thing just pained me," he said. "I was just in the initial part of the video, which has gone viral, is the part where I was pulling him up, which was I said the words and methodology was not appropriate... (but) it was very important for us to see that why was he rude to the particular lady and that was I should have actually heard him out," he added. While Chief Minister has cancelled the suspension of the doctor concerned, the minister clarified that his was not a case of change of heart because of any reprimand from Pramod Sawant. "We are colleagues. We are all working together. There's no question of any reprimand and all here. I have, I myself, when the chief minister called me, I said, there's no question of suspension... I never moved any kind of note for suspension. And the doctor has never been suspended," he added. Asked if he would like to apologise again through NDTV, Mr Rane said, "I would like to tell him that I have apologised to you and your family, doctor, and you should accept that apology... I don't think such behaviour on my part would be there again... And it's important both of us work together as a team... Our issue is we can both settle down and have a cup of tea together and resolve the issue".
Time of India
13 hours ago
- Time of India
Goa CM Pramod Sawant says will visit GMC today, doctors say bring health minister Vishwajit Rane too
Panaji: Even as Goa Medical College (GMC) doctors demanded a public apology in the hospital's casualty department by health minister Vishwajit Rane, chief minister Pramod Sawant said on Monday that Rane has already tendered his apology. 'I convinced them (the doctors) that he publicly tendered his apology and the issue has to be resolved,' said Sawant. On Monday evening, after protests, members of the Goa Association of Resident Doctors (GARD), GMC dean S M Bandekar, and consultants, among others, met Sawant to discuss and resolve the issue. The CM's intervention followed protests by doctors who insisted on an apology from Rane for abusing and threatening chief medical officer Dr Rudresh Kuttikar. Sawant told GARD that he would visit GMC's casualty department on Tuesday to end the deadlock, but GARD told him to bring Rane with him. They told the CM that Rane could tender an apology at casualty without cameras, but he has to tender his apology. 'They raised around 10 issues with me,' said Sawant. 'Nine issues have been resolved. I assure them that henceforth, such incidents will not be repeated in GMC. I hope that the issue will be resolved, and they should resolve it. I have requested them not to go on strike. I told them that I will come to casualty.' Asked whether GARD's main demand — Rane's public apology — was also addressed by the CM, Bandekar said, 'That part was not discussed.' Rane on Saturday directed the immediate suspension of Kuttikar following a complaint from a journalist of Marathi newspaper alleging that the doctor told a patient to go to an urban health centre to receive an injection. Sawant on Sunday assured the doctors that he would not suspend the CMO.
Hindustan Times
17 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Goa doctor rejects health minister's ‘studio apology', says apologise at hospital
PANAJI: A senior doctor, who was pulled up by Goa health minister Vishwajit Rane at a government hospital last week, on Monday rejected a 'heartfelt apology' offered by the minister, insisting that the apology must be made at the hospital where he was humiliated in the first instance. 'I've seen the video. It is a studio apology. We, all the doctors, demand that the apology be given where the incident happened in front of the patients. As my humiliation went viral... I was humiliated, so I want everyone to know about the apology... within 24 hours,' Dr Rudresh Kuttikar, the casualty medical officer (CMO) at Goa Medical College and Hospital's (GMCH) said on Monday on the minister's expression of regret. Dr Kuttikar had drawn Rane's ire on Saturday for allegedly not administering a Vitamin B12 injection to the mother-in-law of a journalist. The doctor asked the woman to head to a primary health centre for the injection, following which the journalist called the minister. Rane humiliated the senior doctor in the emergency department, announced his suspension and told him to go home on Saturday. The suspension was reversed by chief minister Pramod Sawant the following day. Rane also acknowledged that his 'tone and tenor' were not correct and that his choice of words could have been 'more measured' but initially declined to apologised. On Monday morning, Rane followed up on his apology and said he 'deeply regret[s] the manner in which [he] addressed the situation'. 'I openly extended my heartfelt apology to Dr. Rudresh Kuttikar for the harsh words spoken by me during my visit to GMC. In the heat of the moment, my emotions overtook my expression, and I deeply regret the manner in which I addressed the situation. It was never my intention to undermine or disrespect the dignity of any medical professional,' Rane said. Dr Kuttikar justified his decision not to give the injection, saying that the casualty department of the state's premier institute was only following protocol to decline the request. The doctor explained that the patient should have gone to out patient departments or nearby primary health centres to get a Vitamin B12 injection, not the emergency department of the state's premier hospital. 'A Vitamin B12 injection is not an emergency injection, so they had to go to the OPDs or nearby PHCs… The Emergency Department of a tertiary hospital treats the highest level of emergencies for Goa, where only serious, critical patients have to be admitted. Nowadays, even minor cases are coming to the GMC emergency department. It is protocol that only serious cases have to be seen. A routine injection is never an emergency,' Dr Kuttikar said. Dr Kuttikar has received support from the Goa Association of Resident Doctors (GARD) and the Faculty Doctors Association which held a protest on Monday to back the demand for an apology from the minister. They said the protest would be escalated if a public apology wasn't forthcoming/ 'We demand firm assurance from the government that no healthcare professional will ever be subjected to such a degrading and arbitrary ordeal again. [We demand an] end of VIP culture in the clinical setting especially more so in the casualty department with a possible implementation of a policy where treatment in all areas, again emphasising especially in casualty, must be dictated by principles of triage and clinical urgency and not by the social or political status/affiliation of the patient,' GARD said in its memorandum. 'We have sworn an oath to serve patients, and we do so tirelessly. However, we cannot and will not stand by while the dignity of our profession is not trampled upon,' he added.
