Gender puzzle leaves doctors in tough situation

INDORE: Medical board of the state’s largest run MY Hospital was in a tough situation as it was tasked for an unusual case of identifying gender of an accused, which had left district jail administration confused on whether to shift in male or female barrack.
Being first of its kind case at the hospital the accused remained a laughing subject for doctors who kept referring the patient from one doctor to the other, police constables had to do double duty as doctors did not clarify gender in written even after 24 hours of the examination.
Amid prevailing confusion, police took the 26-year-old accused Neeraj, who was booked by Khajrana police in a theft case, to district jail with the medical examination report and left the matter for jail superintendent decision. It was then jail administration shifted Neeraj in a separate female barrack to avoid any controversy.
“In the police documents, gender was specified so we had to get the medical check-up done first. Doctors did not confirm about gender in the medical report that we received. It is mandatory to shift the accused according to gender. Amid ambiguity we have lodged him separately in female barrack,” said district jail superintendent, Ranjeet Singh Bhati.
The accused Neeraj was produced in court on Monday from where he was sent to jail. However, with no gender specification in the court documents jail superintendent took objection and asked the jail guards to get his gender clarified first.
Accompanied by Khajrana police, the accused was taken to MY Hospital on Monday night for getting the medical examination done. However, the case was not as easy as it seemed. Till late night, doctors at the hospital could not confirm about the gender leaving on-duty police constable perplexed who kept running from pillar to post to solve the mystery. The hospital administration then left the case on a medical board to decide.
Refusing to comment on the matter, hospital superintendent, Dr V S Pal said, “There are various medical boards that need to be constituted for examination purpose. I cannot comment on this particular matter.”
On Tuesday again, the police constables reached the hospital as doctors had assured to get the examination done from medical board. However, till late evening they did not conclude anything in writing. Incharge, Khajrana police station, Arvind Singh Tomar said, “A team had gone to MY Hospital for examination from where the accused was sent to jail as doctors did not clarify anything in written.”