Shri. Narendra Modi
Hon’ble Prime Minister of India

Respected Sir,

I, as the President of The Association of Surgeons of India with my office bearers and executive committee members represent the second largest association of surgeons in the world having over 30000 memberships.

I write this letter with a heavy heart and anguish over the sad demise of a brilliant gynecologist Dr. Archana Sharma, a highly merited and experienced professional from Dausa, Rajasthan.

Complications in any surgery are the part and parcel of the treatment, let alone a complicated child birth. Post partum hemorrhage which the patient in contention has suffered before succumbing, is a common complication during delivery. This can happen to any patient and the end result depends on many factors. Some of them can recover and in spite of best care, death, though unfortunate can be an ultimate outcome.

One Indian woman dies every 5 minutes from complications during pregnancy and childbirth. Post partum hemorrhage is one of the three commonest causes of maternal mortality. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that, of the 529,000 maternal deaths occurring every year, 136,000 i.e. 25.7 per cent take place in India.

It is obvious from the facts that Dr Archana Sharma has done her best to treat her patient and the fact that she has taken an extreme step to end her valuable life in anxiety and fear of getting arrested and publicly humiliated tarnishing her image in the society.

As per the Hon. Supreme Court judgment, when the complaint is received against any doctor for medical negligence in the consumer forum or criminal court, then before issuing the notice to the concerned doctor or the hospital, consumer forum or criminal court should first refer the matter to the competent doctor or committee of doctors, specialized in the field relating to which the medical negligence is attributed and only after the competent doctor / committee reports that there is a prima facie evidence of medical negligence only then the notice is to be issued to concerned doctor or the hospital. (Civil Appeal No 3541 of 2002 – Martin F. D’Souza versus Mohd. Ishfaq)

The action of the concerned police officers of booking her under section 302 of IPC is itself is a criminal offense.

The Association of Surgeons of India joins the entire medical fraternity of India in mourning the great loss of Dr. Archana Sharma and we request you to take immediate actions

1. To dismiss the police officers in question with immediate effect
2. To book a criminal case of threatening the doctor on duty and abetment to suicide against all the involved relatives and politicians responsible
3. Instruct the police department to take adequate steps to prevent such incidences to happen in future in view of giving adequate protection to the doctor community in general by introducing stringent laws for violence against doctors

Thanking you

Sincerely yours

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