Probe after viral video shows doctor's driver examining patients at govt hospital

A government hospital in Kanpur is probing allegations that a doctor's driver examined patients and wrote prescriptions in the OPD. The case has raised questions over access control, supervision and possible repeat violations.

In Short

• Viral footage showed the driver consulting patients inside the OPD
• The assigned doctor was reportedly away attending a court hearing then
• A three-member panel formed, asked to submit its findings within 3 days

Authorities in Kanpur have ordered an inquiry after a doctor's driver was allegedly seen examining patients and writing prescriptions at a government hospital while the assigned doctor was away at a court hearing. A senior health official said the matter came to light after a video surfaced on social media on Wednesday.

The purported video showed a man sitting in an OPD room at Kanshiram Hospital, speaking to patients and writing prescriptions. Hospital authorities identified him as Dev, the driver of emergency medical officer Ramkesh, and said a three-member committee has been formed to investigate the incident.

Chief Medical Officer Haridatt Nemi said the committee, headed by Chief Medical Superintendent Piyush Mishra, would conduct a detailed inquiry. "We took serious cognisance of the matter after it came to our notice," Nemi told PTI.

He said the panel would examine whether Dev examined patients in the OPD, prescribed medicines and whether he had done so on previous occasions as well. The committee has been asked to submit its report within three days.

An official, who did not wish to be named, said the driver has since been removed from the hospital. The authorities are also looking into how he got access to the OPD, how many patients he attended and whether he prescribed medicines to them.

According to the official, Mishra has sought an explanation from Ramkesh and submitted a written complaint against the driver at Chakeri police station. Mishra said an inspection was carried out at the hospital on Tuesday, a day before the purported video surfaced, but no outsider was found there at the time. "The committee will examine the video and other relevant facts before fixing responsibility," he told reporters.

The inquiry will now look into the video, the driver's role in the OPD and whether the alleged practice had happened earlier, as the hospital examines how the incident took place.

- Ends