Heart attack claims Nagpur radiologist; colleagues say he went through stress as officials demanded bribe to unseal his sonography machine despite court order in his favour
Heart attack claims Nagpur radiologist; colleagues say he went through stress as officials demanded bribe to unseal his sonography machine despite court order in his favour
At a time when the country is fighting corruption and supporting Anna Hazare's Jan Lokpal bill movement, here is the story of a doctor whose colleagues allege that he lost his life because of the stress he went through while fighting an anti-graft battle.
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The doctor in question, Dr Pramod Agarwal, a radiologist from Nagpur, had been fighting to get his sealed sonography machine back. Two months ago, his machine had been sealed in a raid by the local team of the civil surgeon as a few mandatory forms to be filled out before conducting sonography were not well maintained.
Dr Agarwal appealed to a lower court to get his machine back and won the case. But even after two months had passed, Dr Agarwal was yet to get his machine back and officials put him under severe stress by asking for a bribe, alleged his colleagues.
After a heart attack killed Agarwal, his doctor colleagues say the stress he went through certainly contributed to it. Dr Jignesh Thakker, general secretary, Indian Radiology and Imaging Association (IRIA), said Dr Agarwal had even complained to the association about the harassment.
"I spoke to him less than three weeks ago. He sent me a copy of the lower court's order in which he had won the case. However, local authorities refused to give the machine back to him and threatened to appeal in high court. He even said that they had asked him to pay bribe to get the machine back," said Thakker.
According to Thakker, Dr Agarwal was advised to take recourse to legal action and file contempt of court proceedings against the appropriate authorities if his machine was not returned. "This doctor was the only earning member with one unmarried daughter. What about the financial losses he was facing? Why did he suffer despite winning the case in the lower court? We demand answers from the government," said Thakker.
Dr Agarwal's machine was finally given back to him some 10 days ago, but doctors claim the stress he went through for two months was too much for the radiologist to take. Nagpur-based Dr Kishore Taori, president of the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) and past president of IRIA, said that Dr Agarwal had also discussed the issue of bribe with him just a week ago.
"I had advised him not to give in as this would set a precedent for others as well. It is shocking that he died as he had no history of heart disease, was in the prime of life with only mild hypertension as medical history. If not the only reason, definitely the stress and pressure on him because of legal struggle and loss of money, work hours and reputation due to sealing of the sonography machine is partly responsible for his untimely death," said Taori.
Sources at MMC added that Dr Agarwal was extremely worried as the local civil surgeon had recommended cancellation of his medical licence to the council. "It was absurd and the civil surgeon doesn't have the legal right to do so," said a source. Now IRIA has called for a statewide strike on August 30 to demand justice for Agarwal by punishing the officers who delayed giving him the sonography machine back.
The Other Side
DR Suresh Gupta, additional director, family welfare department, said radiologists were creating unnecessary noise over the incident. "They are making a mountain out of a molehill. He (Dr Agarwal) wasn't harassed. Soon after the court order, his machine was released and no bribe was demanded," said Gupta.
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