Social media lands Jharkhand doctor who ‘abducted’ patient for surgery in trouble

A Jharkhand doctor’s social media posts bragging about how he saved the life of a woman has landed him in trouble after officials realised that he had virtually abducted the woman and conducted surgery without following proper procedure.

Officials said Dr Sushil Kumar, who holds only an MBBS degree, first tricked doctors at a local health centre in Jharia-Chasnala to refer the woman, who was admitted for childbirth, to the Patliputra Medical College and Hospital in Jharkhand. But he took the patient to a local health centre in Kenduadih — where he is posted — and performed a caesarean delivery, without a gynaecologist or an anaesthetist assisting him, officials said.

He asked people present to take pictures of him while conducting the operation, posting them later on social media where he said that he had saved the lives of the mother and her baby. The surgery took place on December 1 but came to light only after Kumar, who is a contractual employee with the state health department, uploaded the photos on December 6.

Medical officer in-charge of Kenduadih ACHC, Dr Alok Viswakarma has issued a show cause notice to Kumar, seeking explanation as per whose order he brought the patient to the ACHC, and how a caesarean delivery was done in absence of an anaesthetist and a gynaecologist.

He has also been asked to explain why he uploaded pictures of a procedure conducted in government hospital on social media.

Viswakarma said if, in a referral case, ‘any individual takes the patient to a different destination without any authorisation, the act will be considered as abduction’.

Medical officer in-charge of Chasnala CHC — where the woman was first admitted — has also sent a complaint against Kumar to the state health department.

Kumar, however, defended his actions saying he knew the patient and he took her to the ACHC as her condition was ‘critical’. He also claimed that he did not perform the surgery himself and it was done by a gynaecologist.

“If saving life of a patient is crime, I am willing to repeat it,” he said, adding he was yet to receive the show-cause notice.

But the Chasnala medical officer denied that condition of the woman was critical.

“A patient of community health centre can’t be shifted to an additional health centre for treatment. Moreover, in this particular case, the delivery time was still due and surgery was not required then,” said Dr SK Sinha, Chasnala CHC in-charge.

According to health department officials, Puja Jha, wife of Sindri resident Chandan Jha, was admitted at Chasnala CHC at around 11 pm of December 1. Doctors kept her under observation for labour pain.

At around 12.15 am, Kumar reached Chasnala CHC and pressed the doctors to refer Puja to PMCH for better treatment. After the referral process, he brought the woman at Kenduadih ACHC instead of taking her to PMCH and conducted the operation himself.