Specialist doctor remanded for assaulting minor staffer

Specialist doctor remanded for assaulting minor staffer

A cancer specialist at the Karapitiya teaching hospital arrested by Galle police for assaulting a minor employee has been remanded until January 22.

The specialist was arrested following the junior staff of the hospital calling on a strike yesterday evening after the doctor had reportedly verbally abused junior staffers as well and assaulted a female employee.   

The incident had occurred after Cancer specialist and surgeon Krishantha Perera had reportedly obstructed the junior staff members work after abusing them for taking part in a strike on the previous day.

The staff members had gone to lodge a complaint at the hospital director’s office the specialist too had gone there and argued with the junior staff members.

The tense situation had escalated there.

A spokesman from the Hospital Director’s office said that Deputy Directors and other doctors had initially settled the situation yesterday morning. However during the evening when the specialist doctor returned to the cancer unit one of the female junior staffers had engaged in a dispute with the doctor.  The junior staffer was assaulted by the doctor at that point.

The female employee who had been subjected to assault is currently undergoing treatment at the emergency care unit of the same hospital.