Three govt doctors suspended in ’Srushti’ irregularities case

Vijayawada: The state government suspended three government doctors from medical colleges and teaching hospitals in connection with the ’Srushti’ case, a high-profile scandal involving irregularities in fertility services based in Hyderabad.

The doctors — Dr. Vasupalli Ravi, Head of the Anesthesiology Department at Andhra Medical College, Visakhapatnam; Dr. P. Ushadevi, an Associate Professor in the Gynaecology department at the same college; and Dr. A. Vidyullata, an Assistant Professor in the Paediatrics department at Srikakulam Government Medical College — faced allegations last month. All three were arrested by Hyderabad police on September 28 and are now facing charges under various sections of the Surrogacy Act and the Juvenile Justice Act.

Health minister Y Satya Kumar Yadav issued the suspension orders, stating that allowing the doctors to remain on duty would erode public trust in the system and could interfere with the ongoing police investigation. The minister questioned why action was delayed, noting that news of their arrests first surfaced on September 9.

Officials explained that after initial media reports, they contacted Hyderabad police, who confirmed the doctors’ arrests on September 28 and their subsequent judicial custody. The officials also informed the minister that the three doctors had been absent from their duties for some time before the scandal became public, and attempts by their college principals to contact them were unsuccessful.