Medico who attempted suicide continues battle for life

HYDERABAD: As Dr Dharavathi Preethi continued to battle for her life, the demand for justice for her and stringent action against Dr Mohammad Saif, accused of harassing her, grew louder on Friday. Scores of members of tribal unions thronged the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (Nims) Hospital in a show of support.

Her father, D. Narender, an ASI with the Railway Protection Force (RPF), demanded that he only wanted his daughter to return to good health, and action should be taken against those responsible for her suicide attempt. “But I know she will not come back," he told Deccan Chronicle.

Nims hospital in a bulletin said Dr Preethi was being maintained on the ECMO, ventilator and dialysis (continuous renal replacement therapy ). “Patient shows some improvement in terms of heart and kidney function. Cardiac output and contractility are improving,” it said in the morning.

Reacting sharply to minister Satyavathi Rathod's reported statement that Dr Preethi had opened her eyes when she visited her, Narender said when the whole family was by her side wailing but she had not responded.

He said Dr Preethi had been complaining to him about the harassment. “I was on leave for my younger daughter’s wedding. When I met her last on February 20, she broke down and that is when I realised she was in deep pain. In less than 36 hours, I was informed that she became unconscious and is in ICU,” Narender added.

Meanwhile, tribal unions questioned the delay in taking action against the accused in the case. They demanded a high power commission to inquire into the incidents that led to Dr Preethi’s alleged suicide attempt.

Kethavath Gopi Singh Naik of the Banjara Vikas Samithi demanded action on the HoD and Principal at KMC and also on the police who did not act on time on her father’s complaint.

Dr Preethi’s cousin B. Deepika Naik said if she belonged to an upper-class community, there would have been a beeline of VIPs. “They do not even have the time to have a word with the parents and assure justice,” she said. “They might be of the thought that tribals are helpless and cannot do anything. If justice is not served, we will agitate and tandas from across the state will come together,” she said.