A Shiv Sena (Shinde) corporator is now under fire after he was caught assaulting a female doctor, a gynaecologist and multiple nursing staff members at the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC-run) Shastrinagar Hospital.
The incident resulted in protests by medical workers and disruptions to outpatient services across government healthcare facilities.
According to the hospital staff, a woman who was admitted for childbirth underwent a caesarean sectoon. Doctors reportedly found that the newborn required a specialised case as the umbilical cord was wrapped around the newborn’s neck twice.
Since the hospital’s NICU was full, gynaecologists Dr Srushti Baviskar and Dr Vaibhav Salunkhe advised the family to shift the newborn to another hospital.
The family, however, contacted Shiv Sena corporator Rameh Mhatre.
As the medical team was attending to other patients, they could not answer his calls.
Mhatre later arrived at the hospital with a few men and allegedly assaulted the doctors.
CCTV footage of the incident soon surfaced on social media.
The video shows Mhatre and his associates punching and slapping the hospital staff for more than three minutes.
A woman doctor is seen trying to use her mobile phone before she is struck from behind, causing the phone to fall from her hand. Two nurses, Namita Ubale and Dravya Girir, were also allegedly punched and manhandled while trying to intervene.
The doctors claimed that Mhatre abused them verbally and threatened staff while leaving the hospital. Dr Salunkhe reportedly sustained injuries in the assault. Hospital staff said the incident left many employees shaken, with some breaking down in tears.
Hospital employees staged a protest demanding action after the incident
OPD services at several government hospitals and health centres were suspended, although emergency services continued.
Mhatra, meanwhile, denied that he ever assaulted the female doctors and staff. He expressed regret over the incident and said that he did not raise his hand against the doctor. He claimed that the impression was created due to the camera angle of the CCTV.
In a statement to ANI he said, "I regret the physical altercation that took place. I state with full confidence that I did not raise my hand against the female doctor. What appears in the CCTV footage might look that way due to the camera angle."
"We have been guided by Balasaheb's teachings; we have never raised a hand against women, nor will we ever do so in the future. This incident occurred due to systemic shortcomings within the hospital; we will strive to address these deficiencies," he added.
The strike has left hundreds of patients stranded, forcing many to either wait for treatment or seek care at private hospitals.
A FIR has been registered against Mhatre for attacking doctors and medical staff on duty, according to DMC commisioner abhinay goyal, NDTV reported. The first was registered against four men and a woman in relation to the case.
The United Doctors Front said attacks on doctors and healthcare workers are no longer isolated incidents and are becoming increasingly common.
The organisation said the assault was "not on one doctor but on the entire healthcare system and every citizen who depends on it," and urged authorities to take strict action against those responsible.
The Central Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) also condemned the incident. MARD president Dr Atharva Shinde said the association was gathering details of the incident and would submit a representation to the Maharashtra Public Health Department and the Home Department seeking action. He appealed to doctors across the state to immediately register FIRs and inform the association whenever they face violence while on duty.
