Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Dr Manmohan Shakya, husband of AIIMS Bhopal doctor Dr Rashmi Verma who died by suicide, has levelled serious allegations against the institute, accusing it of a toxic work culture and repeated humiliation of his wife in front of patients and junior doctors.
Dr Verma (38), an assistant professor in the emergency and trauma department at AIIMS Bhopal, died on Monday after battling for life for 24 days. She had allegedly injected herself with a high dose of an anaesthesia drug on December 11. Her death has intensified scrutiny over alleged administrative pressure, toxic work culture at the institute. A high-level committee has been constituted by AIIMS to conduct a confidential inquiry, though its findings are yet to be made public.
Shakya, while talking to Free Press said his wife, who completed her six-year residency at AIIMS, joined the trauma centre in December 2023 and soon began facing harassment. “She was consistently insulted at all levels. Even during seminars, she was humiliated in front of juniors. Junior doctors were allotted chambers, but my wife was denied a chamber or office space,” he said, alleging absence of a healthy work culture across departments.
Alleging that his wife was targeted, Shakya cited a complaint purportedly filed by a patient accusing her of misbehaving with junior doctors. “The complaint was in English and the language clearly did not reflect that of a patient. How can a patient comment on a doctor’s behaviour with juniors? This points to the planning and conspiracy against my wife,” he alleged.
Shakya said that to boost her morale he even suggested her to leave AIIMS, however, she said that she was mentally strong and would fight the toxic work culture in AIIMS as she had completed her residency from AIIMS.
Referring to the removal of the head of department (HoD), Shakya said the action was inadequate. “Our family has been completely ruined. I have a seven-year-old son. We are broken,” he said.
Shakya further claimed that the HoD’s removal was not directly linked to his wife’s death, but to a complaint lodged earlier by another doctor who was shifted from the trauma centre to the anaesthesia department. “My wife was not the only one facing humiliation. Others were suffering too,” he added.
