Sangareddy college ‘fails’ doc on purpose over harassment complaint; Guv’s help sought

Hyderabad: The members of the Healthcare Reforms Doctors’ Association (HRDA) wrote to the governor of Telangana Dr T Soundararajan requesting the re-examination of practicals at an institute after the college management allegedly failed a young doctor on purpose. A number of doctors have come in support of the doctor, Dr P Rashmita, who had filed an FIR against the assistant director of MNR Medical College in Sangareddy in November 2022 for alleged harassment.

The doctors had also attached Dr Rashmita’s marks memo and the FIR with the letter to the governor. Copies of the HRDA letter were also sent to the minister of health and family welfare T Harish Rao and principal secretary of health, Syed Ali Murtaza Rizvi, Telangana state. Governor Dr T Soundararajan is also the chancellor, registrar and vice-chancellor of Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences (KNRUHS), Warangal.

Dr P Rashmita is from the department of anaesthesiology, MNR Medical College, Sangareddy. As per her statement of marks, Dr Rashmita was short of four marks for securing the minimum pass marks of 350 out of a total of 700. In her theory papers, she had secured 235 out of 400, where the pass marks were 200. However, in the practical exam, she secured 111 marks out of 300, where the cut-off marks for passing were 150. The candidate needs to pass each component (theory and practical) separately.

As per the contents of the letter, the members of HRDA brought to the notice of the health authorities and administrators of KNRUHS that Dr P Rashmita along with a few other students had filed an FIR against the assistant director of MNR Medical College in November 2022 for stalking, visiting them at their hostel at odd hours and intending to insult the modesty of women. The management of MNR Medical College tried a number of times to pressurise Dr Rashmita to withdraw the case, but she did not give in to the alleged threats from the college management. In the recently held final examination in June 2023, the college management, allegedly bearing a grudge against Dr Rashmita failed her intentionally in the practical exam though she passed the theory papers with good marks.

When contacted, Dr K Mahesh Kumar, president of HRDA said, “Dr Rashmita approached us for help and we are also convinced that just because she did not withdraw the complaints, the management failed her in the practical exams. We have requested the chancellor, vice chancellor and registrar of KNRUHS to take necessary action on the MNR Medical College management and re-conduct practical examinations for Dr Rashmita in another institute. If such incidents are allowed to happen and no action is taken, then it will degrade the morale of the women medicos and other women will also hesitate to come forward to lodge complaints.”