Dean Of Maharashtra Hospital Faces Police Case Following Toilet Cleaning Incident

An incident at a government-run medical college and hospital in Maharashtra’s Nanded has led to a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder being registered against the dean and another doctor. This action follows 31 deaths in the facility within 72 hours. The complaint, made by a relative of a deceased newborn, alleges negligence on the part of the dean and the child specialist. It is claimed that the family had to purchase medicines outside the hospital, and no doctor attended to the newborn. When they sought help from the dean’s office, they were reportedly turned away.

In a separate incident, the dean filed a police complaint against Hemant Patil, an MP from the ruling Shiv Sena, who had compelled him to clean a dirty toilet at the hospital. Patil’s visit to the hospital revealed unsanitary conditions, with toilets left uncleaned for months and locked wards. Following the dean’s complaint, Patil faces charges related to obstructing a public servant, defamation, and criminal intimidation, as well as provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

The video of the dean cleaning the toilets on the MP’s instructions went viral, sparking strong reactions on social media. Some supported the MP’s action against the dean, while others believed it was a diversion tactic to avoid responsibility for the hospital’s poor state. Additionally, the presence of pigs on the hospital premises raised concerns about hygiene.

Despite government denials of medicine and doctor shortages, patient relatives claimed that senior doctors were inaccessible, and junior doctors attended to patients. They also alleged a lack of available medicines, forcing them to procure them externally.