The Hindu : Front Page : Manapparai doctor couple arrested

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 26, 2007
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Manapparai doctor couple arrested

Staff Reporter

Case takes new turn; boy absconding

Medical examination does not reveal conditions portrayed in video

Patient Neela turns out to be a relative of the doctor couple

TIRUCHI: The doctor couple of Manapparai, K. Murugesan and M. Gandhimathy, whose 15-year-old son allegedly performed a Caesarean section on a 20-year-old woman at their hospital, were arrested on Monday after day-long interrogation at the Valanadu police station.

They were remanded to custody.

The case, however, seemed to be taking a new turn with a team of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) stating that a medical examination of Neela, on whom the Caesarean section was allegedly performed, did not reveal conditions portrayed in a video recording of the procedure. The IMA team provided this information during the RDO enquiry into the episode.

It also come to light that Neela is a relative of the doctor couple.

On Monday, along with her child and relatives, she went to the Valanadu police station and staged a dharna protesting against the action against the doctors.

The agitators dispersed following the intervention of Superintendent of Police N. Rajasekaran.

The police registered an FIR against the couple under sections of the Indian Penal Code — 417, 419, 336, 338 and 308 — on counts of forgery, manipulation of records and endangering human life, based on a complaint from the Deputy Director of Health Services.

A team has been formed to nab the boy, who is absconding, Mr. Rajasekaran said.

The district administration’s action was based on the video recording of the operation Dr. Murugesan had screened at a meeting of the local chapter of the IMA, and his interview to a mediaperson, during which he had said that Dhileepan Raj was trained in conducting such operations ever since he was in the seventh standard.

Further investigation is on to determine whether the video recording pertained to any of the 48 other cases the hospital had handled over the year, Collector Ashish Vachhani told reporters.

The district administration decided on a three-pronged strategy based on the 18-page RDO report submitted to the Collector on Sunday.

Complaint

It registered a police complaint through the Health Department. It would refer to the Tamil Nadu Medical Council, the violation of the Code of Medical Ethics, and take action against violation of the provisions of the Pre-conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act 1994.

The district administration would soon issue a notice to the scan centre attached to the hospital as it had revealed the sex of the child to the mother, the Collector said.

He asked the general public not to patronise the hospital while it was under investigation.

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