22 February 2009
Ahmedabad, India
Two more doctors in Modasa town, at whose clinic several Hepatitis patients were treated, have been booked under charges of culpable homicide, police said on Sunday.
The FIR was filed late last night against Dr. Govind Patel and his son Chintal Patel, who run a clinic in Modasa town of Sabarkantha district, they said, adding no arrests have been made so far.
The investigation is on in the case, they said. The outbreak of hepatitis-B in Sabarkantha has claimed 34 lives, while over 100 patients are undergoing treatment at various hospitals across the district.
"We have filed a complaint against Dr. Govind Patel and his son Chintan Patel. Most of the people infected with Hepatitis in Modasa town had taken treatment from Patel in the last six months," Deputy Superintendent of police K K Maysorewala told PTI.
Patel has been booked under section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the IPC as many of the patients treated by him were found positive for Hepatitis and some of them have died, Maysorewala said.
"When officials of health department had raided Patel's clinic they had found used syringes, and undisposed medical waste," he added.
Mysorewala said that they have also come to know from some people that Patel's son, Chintan, who is not a qualified doctor used to administer injections to patients.
According to police, the duo have also been booked under section 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), 278 (making atmosphere noxious to health), besides 304 of the IPC.
The Sabarkantha district police had earlier arrested six doctors on charges of negligence from town, rural Modasa and Dhansura taluka.
They were later released on bail as they were booked under the Medical Practitioners Act.
Meanwhile, four central medical teams have arrived at Sabarkantha yesterday and began inoculation of the staff at public health centres and government run hospitals.
The government has also decided to undertake mass vaccination in the town and nearby villages.
Gujarat Health Minister Jaynarayan Vyas had on Saturay said that the government has ordered six lakh Hepatitis B vaccines for mass vaccination programme which will be done in three rounds, beginning from Modasa.
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