India: Doctor goes on four-hour tea break after sedating four patients in operation theatre

In a shocking incident, a doctor left four women unattended for four hours after sedating them at a government-aided tubectomy camp organised in Khat village, Nagpur.

The patients were administered anaesthesia by the surgeon after which he went on the long tea break and left the patients in the makeshift operation theatre.

The surgeon stated that he left because he suffered a hypoglycemic attack due to diabetes. The government panel initiated an inquiry into the incident so that the matter could be investigated.

All the eight operations which were scheduled to take place in the camp ended successfully, however, it remained unclear if the remaining four operations were completed by the same surgeon.

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The surgeon, identified as Dr Bhalavi, came back to the primary health centre, where they had organised the camp after the district officials were alerted by the villagers.

The doctor is associated with a rural hospital in Parseoni and was given the task of visiting the camp. An inquiry team visited the primary health centre located at Mouda tehsil on Tuesday (Oct 7) and recorded statements of the surgeon and staff.

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Surgeon claims he suffered hypoglycemic attack

As per the statement, the surgeon is diabetic and had gone out to drink tea after he suffered a hypoglycemic attack.

As per the locals, the doctor felt uneasiness and hence, drove off to Nagpur while leaving the patients unattended.

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"The surgeon left at 2.30 pm and returned at night to complete the operations," stated Tushar Kunjekar, a resident of Khat, as reported by The Times of India.

On November 3, eight surgeries had to be done in the camp which included seven tubectomies and one vasectomy. The public health department has been holding camps regularly at the primary health centres for the flagship family planning programme of the central government.

A three-member investigation panel was set up by District Health Officer (DHO) Dr Ajay Dawle after the incident. "All eight operations were successful. A thorough inquiry will reveal facts," he stated, without giving further details.

However, he did not clarify if the remaining four operations were completed by the same surgeon.

A top health official confirmed that the doctor is a diabetic patient. "He was feeling uneasy after performing four operations and asked for tea, which the PHC staff could not provide. He is likely to have suffered from hypoglycemia," the official stated, as reported by the newspaper.

(With inputs from agencies)