Drunken doctor on duty: Karnataka medico collapses moments before surgery

A doctor who was scheduled to perform numerous surgeries at a hospital collapsedseconds before beginning the operations.The case was reported from a hospital in Chikkamagaluru, Karnataka when nine women were hospitalised for a sterilisation operation.

The doctor, known as Balakrishna, was discovered sleeping inside the operating theatre since the morning of the surgery.

The patientwasgiven anaesthesia at about 8 am, with the procedures set for 2 pm, according to the details.

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The doctor passed out before he could begin the surgery and was discovered drunk.Meanwhile, the patient'sfamilyhasurged harsh disciplinary action against the doctor.

Reports say the doctor was a habitual offenderwho had previously been caught under the influence of alcohol.

Other cases of negligence

In 2022, aone-and-a-half-year-old girl brought to a government hospital in Uttar Pradesh's Barabanki for treatment died after being attended by a doctor who was allegedly in an intoxicatedstate.

As perthe family, the incident occurredwhen the girl was taken to a hospital in the Sirauli Gauspur area after a corn kernelgot stuck in her throat.

The family has alleged that the doctor on dutywas not present in the hospital during his duty hours at night. He reached there an hour later in an inebriated state and attended to the child, which led toher death.

A drunken doctor in India delivered a woman’s baby by caesarean section, leading to the death of the mother and the newborn in 2017,according to reports.

Kaminiben Chanchiya, 22, was admitted to the government-run Sonawala Hospital in the city of Botad in Gujarat on Monday night with labour pains,India Today reported.

The babywas declared dead soon after the procedureand the woman died shortly after, prompting the victim’s family to blamethe doctor for negligence, reports said.

What happens if a doctor is intoxicated while on duty? What does the rulebook say?

In an attempt to curb instances of doctors showing up drunk while on duty, the Ethics and Medical Registration Board of the National Medical Commission has specified that intoxication on duty and off duty affecting professional practice will be considered misconduct and grounds for suspension.

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Doctors in India can now get suspended from three months to three years if they are found guilty of attending to patients in an intoxicated state.

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