A Government doctor under investigation for alleged sex abuse is refusing to leave the staff quarters despite a notice being served on him to this effect, a senior hospital official said.
Dambulla Government Hospital Director Dr. Iresha Fernando told The Sunday Times the suspect doctor has reported sick since he was given a temporary transfer pending the completion of the ongoing investigations on March 31.
She added that the suspect had been attached to the hospital for the past three and a half years and had a history of misconduct where he targeted female staff at the same hospital.
“This had been going on for some time and something had to be done. It is encouraging to note that several witnesses are coming forward to give evidence. Earlier there was reluctance on their part”, Dr. Fernando further said.
She said that if the doctor refuses to comply with the quit notice then the authorities will be forced to call in the police since it was in the better interest of other members of the staff and well as the patients.
The doctor came under investigation early last week after a young female intern alleged that the suspect had attempted to sexually molest her in the living quarters. The victim had also made a complaint with the local police, Dr. Fernando said.
“However at the moment we are treating the matter in a sensitive manner and the transfer of the doctor is standard procedure in such an investigation. There is no guilty party as yet, until the findings are over”, she explained.
Sources close to the inquiry said that the victim had moved her mother into the living quarters fearing more attacks from the suspect doctor. |
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