Members of the Tiruchi branch of the Indian Medical Association on Monday gathered to introspect and discuss a doctor's duties even as house surgeons and students staged a protest in the city to show solidarity with the doctors who were attacked at NRS Medical College in Kolkata on June 13.
Speaking to The Hindu , M.S. Ashraf, former national vice-president, Indian Medical Association, said outpatient services in all hospitals with doctors associated with IMA would be suspended until 6 a.m. on June 18.
“People might think that the doctors are selfish, they are protesting for their own needs. However, public health could be affected if a doctor shies away from a critical case because of the fear of attack. To prevent this, a stringent law is required,” he said.
On June 14, Tiruchi-IMA submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister and the Home Minister demanding a national hospital protection act.
At the meeting, doctors discussed the need for alternate modes of redressal.
“We are not gods, we cannot heal everybody. We sometimes cannot even say how something occurred. We can only tell you how to cure it. There may have been lapses. But violence is not the way. One can approach the court or the police,” said S.P. Tiruppathy, Fine Arts Secretary, Tiruchi-IMA.
Meanwhile, members of the Tamil Nadu Government Doctors Association along with around 600 house surgeons and students staged a protest outside Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital.
“We want the enactment of a watertight act for protection of all medical practitioners. At the same time, we also want stringent action to be taken against the assailants who attacked the doctors in Bengal. To show our solidarity, apart from wearing black badges and organising protests, we will also be suspending our private practices for a day,” P. Prabhakaran, president, Tiruchi branch, TNGDA.
Tiravurur
The strike call given by the doctors elicited cent per cent response in private hospitals in Tiruvarur district where the outpatient services were offered only to emergency cases, according to president, IMA, Tiruvarur, B. Lakshmanasamy and secretary A.L. Venkatesh.
Inpatient, ICU, radiotherapy and other essential services such as pharmacy section for inpatients functioned.
The doctors at government hospitals executed their work by wearing black badges to show their support to the strike call given by IMA.
Thanjavur
In Thanjavur, the doctors attached to the government hospital wore black badges during their working hours and private hospitals functioned as per the directions issued by IMA, sources said.
Pudukottai
Members of IMA, Pudukottai, staged a demonstration in front of Pudukottai Government Medical College Hospital as part of the strike. However, outpatient and other services were not affected at the hospital.
