TN Medical Council serves show cause notice on CMCH official

18/04/2020, STAFF REPORTER,COIMBATORE

The Tamil Nadu Medical Council (TNMC) has served a show cause notice on T. Sadagopan, Medical Superintendent of the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH), for alleged inappropriate treatment of two post-graduate medical students of the institution who tested positive for COVID-19.

It was alleged that Dr. Sadagopan removed the two PG students from a WhatsApp group of doctors of CMCH and Government Medical College and ESI Hospital, Coimbatore, after one of them pleaded for hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug recommended for COVID-19 management, on Monday.

The Council issued the show cause notice on the senior doctor based on an email complaint from the PG medical students, follow-up inquires by its office, and a report published on the columns of The Hindu on April 15.

The notice dated April 15 termed the complaint against Dr. Sadagopan as treatment 'unbecoming of a medical practitioner' to two COVID-19 positive post graduate doctors who risked their life while posted to look after Corona Ward duty at ESI Hospital.

According to Dr. Sadagopan, he removed only one PG student, not the one who asked for hydroxychloroquine in the WhatsApp group, and it was incidental as he was removing PG students from the group to make it a group of teachers.

On Thursday, P. Kalidas, senior professor from the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, was appointed to hold full additional charge of the Dean replacing B. Asokan.