Nellore Doctor Suspended for Bribery

A government doctor has been suspended for reportedly demanding a bribe of Rs 16,000 from the kin of a person who died by suicide in order to conduct a postmortem of the deceased in Nellore.

As per a media report in The New Indian Express, a video of the accused doctor, who is a medical officer at the hospital in Udayagiri, went viral on social media where he was seen demanding a bribe for conducting the post-mortem on the body.

Also Read: Pharma Bribe to doctors: SC tells Centre to give detailed reply on stand on UCPMP status

A preliminary probe report on the incident was submitted by the District Collector following which the Vaidya Vidhana Parishad Commissioner Dr. V Vinod Kumar suspended the doctor. A departmental inquiry has also been initiated against the doctor.

The Nellore police are said to have provided Rs 40,000 to the family of the deceased for conducting the final rites, along with arranging an ambulance for shifting the body to his native place.

The deceased person and his spouse came from Rayakunta village in West Godavari and had migrated to the Udayagiri region for livelihood. The victim died by suicide in the late hours of Tuesday because of the debt burden. The police had registered a case of suicide and had shifted the body to Udayagiri government hospital.

After that, the doctor demanded Rs 16,000, dividing it as Rs 15,000 for the doctor and Rs 1,000 for the attendant, from the deceased person's wife to perform the post mortem. The wife paid the money after borrowing the amount from her relatives. However, the whole process was filmed by some unknown people, which went viral on social media, reports the Times of India.

There were also reactions from government officials with regard to the incident. The agriculture Minister Kakani Govardhan Reddy expressed shock over the incident whereas the TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh criticized the indifference of the YSRC government to inhuman incidents, reports the TNIE.

Also Read: Thane Civil Hospital Clerk arrested for taking bribe