Daijiworld Media Network – Panaji

Panaji, Jun 10: The confrontation between doctors at Goa Medical College (GMC) and health minister Vishwajit Rane over alleged abuse and threats aimed at chief medical officer Dr Rudresh Kuttikar reached a crucial juncture on Monday evening, as Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant intervened to defuse tensions.

Sawant told protesting doctors that Rane had already tendered a public apology, urging them to end their agitation. “I convinced them that he publicly tendered his apology and the issue has to be resolved,” Sawant said after meeting representatives of the Goa Association of Resident Doctors (GARD), GMC dean Dr S M Bandekar, and senior consultants.

Doctors have been demanding that Rane apologise directly in the hospital’s casualty department, where the incident reportedly took place. They told Sawant that Rane could do so without media presence but must personally express his regret at the same location.

GARD has stood firm, with one key demand still unresolved — a direct apology from Rane. “Nine out of the ten issues raised by the doctors have been resolved. I assured them that such incidents will not happen again,” Sawant stated, urging the doctors not to proceed with their strike plans.

The controversy began on Saturday after Rane ordered the suspension of Dr Kuttikar, following a complaint from a journalist who alleged that the doctor had asked a patient to go to an urban health centre for an injection. On Sunday, Sawant assured doctors that there would be no suspension.

However, when asked if the core demand of Rane’s apology had been formally addressed, GMC dean Dr Bandekar replied, “That part was not discussed.”

CM Sawant is expected to visit the casualty ward on Tuesday, though doctors have insisted he bring Rane with him to formally close the matter.