Surat doctor denied payment: Hospital owner booked for ‘assaulting doc’

Dr Modh told police that he had sought Rs 2.13 lakh as payment for treating Covid-19 patients during the two months. Dr Ravisinh Raj, the owner of the hospital, paid half of the amount and sought some days to clear the remaining sum, the complainant said.

Dr Modh told police he had to visit the hospital several times for the remaining amount but was turned away each time on various pretexts by Dr Raj. On Tuesday, Dr Modh visited the hospital with a friend Dhaval Shah to collect the money after he received a call from the hospital.

The complainant said he went inside the hospital while Dhaval waited outside. Dr Modh told the police that Dr Raj handed him a cheque of Rs 1 lakh, following which he was also told to sign a no-dues-left statement.

In the police complaint, Dr Modh said as he started leaving the chamber of Dr Raj, he was attacked by his brothers Pankajsinh, Jaysinh, and Rajnikantsinh with iron pipes. The complainant said Dr Raj also beat him and took the Rs 1 lakh cheque away. The four men, the complainant said, took him to the hospital gate and told the security guards not to let him in again.

Shah, who was waiting outside the hospital, took Dr Modh home. Later, Dr Modh submitted a police complaint against Dr Raj, Jaysinh, Rajnikantsinh, and Pankajsinh, three security guards and two bouncers of the hospital.

Khatodara police have registered an offence under IPC sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (Voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 506(2) (criminal intimidation), 385 (putting a person in fear of injury in order to commit extortion) and 114 (abettor present when an offence is committed).

Inspector T V Patel of Khatodara police station said, “We have registered an offence against Dr Raj, his three brothers and five others. Police teams were sent to the hospital and their residence, but they were not found. Even their mobile phones are switched off. We talked to the other doctors who were also visiting physicians at Ratnadeep Hospital and found they too had not been paid for the services. It is obvious that Dr Raj had taken treatment charges from the patients but not paid the remuneration to the visiting doctors. Further probe is on in this case.”