The Madhya Pradesh government has sacked Dr. Rahul Mishra from the post of superintendent of Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Rewa following a video that purportedly showed him making an insensitive remark to the family of a pregnant woman who died along with her newborn.
The State Public Health and Medical Education Department, on September 1, issued an order appointing Dr. Priyank Sharma, a professor in the Department of General Surgery, as the new superintendent of the hospital until further orders. The order did not cite the reasons for the change.
This move stems from a recent interaction between Dr. Mishra and the family of 25-year-old Kalpana Mishra that went viral. In the video, he is purportedly heard telling a family member, “You got a 24… you got a 22-year-old sister pregnant,” as the family questioned the hospital over Kalpana’s treatment and death. Dr. Mishra, however, denied allegations of negligence and subsequently apologised for his remark.
“The incident is unfortunate. The family made a very serious lapse,” he said. “As per protocol, a pregnant woman should undergo at least eight examinations. Looking at her documents, we found she had been examined only twice, both at a private hospital. Because her blood pressure and heart rate increased, Kalpana lost consciousness.”
A high-level inquiry committee had been constituted, and two nursing officers were suspended.
“This is a medical matter. Why the patient did not regain consciousness is a subject of investigation, and action will be taken against whoever is found responsible based on the inquiry’s findings,” he had said earlier, denying the allegations.
Dr. Mishra maintained that medical protocols had been followed.
“The woman was treated according to medical protocols. There was no negligence on the part of the doctors. However, inquiries are underway into the family’s allegations. The body was handed over to the family following the post-mortem,” he added.
Congress president Jitu Patwari accused the government of protecting the superintendent and alleged that Dr. Mishra was linked to Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister Rajendra Shukla. He also questioned why Dr. Mishra had continued in his post despite the controversy, attributing the delayed action to his alleged political connections.