Guntur: Online portal for students to express their grievance

Guntur: The Minister for Health, Kamineni Srinivas, on Saturday made an announcement about an online grievance portal being developed for Government Medical College students in the state. The Minister spoke of the development after laying the foundation stone for a Nursing College and Nursing Hostel on the Infectious Diseases (fever) Hospital premises.

"The students will be able to avail the facility of the web portal soon. The portal would be of assistance to the students in submitting their grievances online." said Dr. Srinivas.

The web portal development comes in the light of the ongoing student protests at Guntur Medical College after the suicide of a PG medical student B. Sandhya Rani of the college, on October 24. It is alleged that the student took her life due to the alleged harassment faced at the hands of a senior Professor of Gynaecology, V.V. Lakshmi, who is now evading arrest.

“We will not tolerate any incidents of harassment on the medical college campuses. The state government is seriously looking into the case relating to suicide of Dr. Rani. Four special teams have been formed to track Dr. Lakshmi and we will definitely arrest her. Further, we are also stripping her husband, G. Vijaya Saradhi, of his existing position as Vice Chairman of AP Medical Council,” Dr Kamineni Srinivas added.

Sandhya Rani who committed suicide by injecting herself with a high dose of anaesthesia and in her diary held the professor responsible for her act of suicide. Her husband, Ravi Kumar, also attempted to end his life, after his wife's death and is currently being treated at a Hyderabad hospital.

It is believed that Dr Kamineni Srinivas has spoken to the Managing Director of Yashoda Hospitals, Hyderabad for ensuring that quality medical care is administered to the deceased 's husband. The State government is to take care of his medical expenses, he added.

Meanwhile, Dr Sandhya Rani's mother, Bala Prameela recalling her daughter's ill treatment and harassment at the hands of the professor said,"When my daughter sought 20 days leave for her wedding, her professor asked her why did she need so many days and warned her against conceiving. But she did conceive and was afraid that the professor would get to know about it and took pills to terminate her pregnancy," she said, adding she came to know of it only when she found the pills in her daughter's bag after her death.

The Health Minister, after the incident assured that in order to prevent harassment, complaint boxes had been set up in all medial colleges. "Medical students can either mail or text their complaints. We will let you know the number and ID for sending the complaints soon," he added.

A red corner notice has been issued against professor AVV Lakshmi of the Guntur Government Hospital (GGH), who has been evading arrest ever since October 24. Seven teams of the state police are looking for her. "We have issued a red corner notice. The police are looking for her in AP and Hyderabad," said K Sarita, Guntur Deputy Superintendent of Police.

According to sources, the magisterial inquiry, ordered by the district collector, will begin soon on GGH premises. The investigating committee will be headed by the Revenue Divisional Officer, Guntur, K Srinivasa Rao.