Doc accused of ‘stone-pelter’ remark was on leave: Chandigarh hospital after row

PGIMER director Dr Jagat Ram conducted an internal inquiry into the incident on Monday and found that the doctor accused was on leave on that day.
The director of Chandigarh’s Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) has said the doctor accused of calling a patient from Kashmir and her son “stone-pelters” was on leave the day the incident reportedly happened.
Dr Jagat Ram conducted an internal inquiry into the incident on Monday and found Dr MK Tiwari, the doctor who was accused by Srinagar resident Javaid Malik of misbehaving, was not present in the hospital last Thursday.
“Dr SK Gupta, the head of the neurosurgery department, questioned other consultants and resident doctors of the department but everyone denied making any such remark,” Dr Ram said.
“The head of the department has offered help to the patient and has assured that he will look after the diagnostics if needed,” he added.
Complaint and controversy
Malik said he brought his mother Nasreena Malik, 55, for treatment to PGIMER’s neurosurgery department on Thursday but they left the hospital after the doctor misbehaved with them and gave incorrect formation about the cost of treatment.
“Initially, the doctor talked to us in a civilised way but when he got to know that we are Kashmiris, his attitude changed. He got angry and threw away our documents saying “Wahan Kashmir me humare jawano ko patthar maarte ho aur phir yahan ilaaj ke liye aate ho (You people throw stones at our security personnel in Kashmir and then come here for treatment),” Malik said.
Nasreena’s family said she suffers from intracranial aneurysm – a blood vessel related condition in the brain – and came to PGIMER for consultation about a neurosurgical surgery.
Malik alleged that the doctor said the surgery would cost Rs 15 lakh, and other patients with a similar ailment told him that the procedure should cost a maximum of Rs 80,000, including medicines and other expenses. The doctor also suggested they should go to All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi, he said.
Malik, who is a shopkeeper in Srinagar, said that he was not sure of the name of the doctor who made the remark but the nameplate outside the cabin read Dr Manoj Tiwari.
“Due to such behaviour, I left PGIMER with my mother last Thursday evening itself. Now we plan to go to Delhi for treatment,” Malik said.
The Maliks did not lodge a complaint with the hospital. The PGIMER has denied Kashmiri patients are discriminated against.
“Everyday hundreds of people from Kashmir visit PGIMER for treatment and we provide best quality treatment to everyone,” Dr Ram told the Hindustan Times.