SHILLONG, Sep 21: The Meghalaya Legislative Assembly Committee on Women Empowerment has expressed displeasure over the attitude of two health officials from East Garo Hills — District Medical and Health Officer (DM&HO) and Medical Superintendent of Williamnagar Civil Hospital — who, on Tuesday, failed to depose before the Committee over a case relating to a doctor from the hospital, who reportedly refused to medically examine a minor rape victim on grounds that the place of the incident and investigation did not fall under his jurisdiction.
The Superintendents of Police of East Garo Hills and South Garo Hills, who deposed before the Committee over the issue, informed that a case has been filed against the erring doctor.
The Assembly panel, however, said that as per the standard law, the victim should have been attended in any hospital.
Meanwhile, Chairperson of the Committee, Ampareen Lyngdoh, expressed displeasure over the attitude of the health officials who failed to turn up to depose before the Committee. She also warned of taking the matter up with the Privilege Committee.
“The Committee is irked with the health officials over the insensitivity of the doctor at the Williamnagar Civil Hospital in East Garo Hills for citing a jurisdictional reason to decline treatment to her. We have taken a serious note of this and we will write to them,” Lyngdoh said.
She also informed that the panel is pursuing the matters relating to double murder in West Khasi Hills and the rape of four minors at Ummir near Shillong Bypass.
Meanwhile, with regard to the death of a 28-year-old woman at Dangar PHC immediately after childbirth, reportedly due to medical negligence, the Principal Secretary of the Health department, Sampath Kumar, has informed the Committee that an internal inquiry into the matter is under way.
