Southern States - Tamil Nadu   

Govt. doctors join strike, elective surgeries deferred

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI MAY 10. Hundreds of elective surgeries posted for today were put off after government doctors boycotted non-emergency operations, marking the beginning of their protest against the Government allowing new private medical colleges.

Only six emergency surgeries were conducted today in 12 hospitals all over the State, according to a statement by the Tamil Nadu Medical and Dental College Students' Association, which is backed by the doctors. Family planning and camp surgeries too were postponed.

Health department officials, however, said elective surgeries were carried out in some hospitals.

"Overall, there were not too many hindrances," the Director of Medical Education, C.Ravindranath, said, but conceded that patient care would worsen if the doctors intensified their boycott.

He said 16 elective surgeries were performed in the Madurai Medical College. In the Stanley Medical College, one elective surgery and eight minor surgeries were conducted.

Altogether, about 40 emergency surgeries were conducted in State hospitals.

The Government decided to send patients to private hospitals for emergency surgeries if necessary, the DME said, adding that the Government would bear the expenses. It would also recruit doctors registered with employment exchange and seek services of retired surgeons. if the doctors went on strike.

Government hospitals started postponing or stopped posting patients for elective surgeries from last week, after service postgraduates joined the strike, which is into its third week now.

The Tamil Nadu Government Doctors Association announced yesterday a series of agitations beginning today, which would lead to an indefinite strike from May 21, if the Government did not revoke the order allowing private medical colleges.

Students held, released

In another development, four students on indefinite fast were forced to take food and receive treatment by hospital authorities after their conditions deteriorated to serious levels, a student said.

Earlier, students staging a demonstration in the Stanley Medical College were arrested and released.

Extending its support to the strike, the Tamil Nadu Government Collegiate Teachers' Association asked the Government to hold talks with the medicos. "Crass commercialisation should be avoided in medical education," its general secretary, S. Ganesan, said in a statement.

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