'Doctors vlog at Srinagar maternity hospital': Officials order probe amid widespread anger

July 31, 2025 by News Desk

Danishwar Hameed

Authorities at Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar have launched an investigation after a video surfaced showing a doctor filming himself inside the operation theatre and labour room of a major maternity hospital in the city during an active surgical procedure.

The Kashmiriyat had, on Thursday, reported that the video, a VLOG uploaded by the doctor to his personal social media account, captures restricted areas of Lalla Ded Hospital, including a live surgery, with the doctor casually speaking to the camera.

“This is a normal day,” he says while filming his entry into the OT. In another clip, he adds, “Ye dekho, sab kaam chalu hai. (Look, everything is running as usual),” before walking past staff inside the labour room.

In the video he showed a surgery procedure in operation theatre and also said the surgery had been performed normally.

The video has triggered widespread outrage on social media, with many accusing the doctor of gross insensitivity and violation of medical ethics.

Legal experts who spoke to The Kashmiriyat pointed out that the act may constitute a breach of Article 21 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to privacy, and could attract penal action under Section 66E of the Information Technology Act, which criminalises the capture and distribution of private imagery without consent.

Officials in the Health Department confirmed that the matter is being reviewed. “If the identity of the doctor is established, appropriate action will be taken,” said a senior official.

Separately, GMC Srinagar issued a statement saying that an enquiry committee comprising medical and IT experts has been constituted to look into the incident. “The committee will submit its findings within 24 hours, following which disciplinary action will be initiated,” the statement read.

The controversy comes at a time when public confidence in government-run hospitals remains fragile.

Just days earlier, a strike by doctors at SMHS Hospital disrupted services and raised fresh concerns about accountability within the healthcare system.