Doctors away, driver 'takes over charge' in Kanpur hospital's OPD

A driver allegedly prescribed medicines to patients at a Kanpur government hospital.KANPUR: A driver allegedly prescribed medicines to patients at a government hospital in Kanpur while emergency medical officer Dr Ramkesh was attending a court hearing on Monday.Hospital authorities have sought an explanation from the doctor after a video showing his driver allegedly prescribing medicines to patients at the OPD went viral on social media.The video showed the driver seated beside the doctor, calling patients one by one, asking about their ailments and writing medicines on prescription slips. He allegedly told some patients that the medicines were unavailable at the hospital and would have to be purchased from outside.The video surfaced around 2.30pm on Wednesday. Kanshiram Hospital CMS Dr Piyush Mishra said he had learnt about the incident and sought a clarification from Ramkesh. He said action would be taken if the doctor failed to provide a satisfactory explanation.Mishra also warned that if any outsider was found prescribing medicines in the hospital or OPD in place of a doctor again, action would be taken and an FIR would be registered against the doctor concerned. The government would also be informed about the matter, he said.Dr Ramkesh later acknowledged that his driver was seen writing a prescription in the video.Ramkesh told hospital authorities that he had gone to court to give evidence and that the person writing the prescriptions was apparently his driver.He said an acquaintance who was a patient had visited the hospital, following which the driver wrote down the medicines. Ramkesh said he had removed the driver for acting on his own.