A forum of doctors urged the Central government to permit it to treat persons injured in the recent anti-CAA/NRC protests in the country.
The Alliance of Doctors for Ethical Healthcare, a group that includes at least three surgeons and a psychiatrist from Chennai, wanted the government to “send strict instructions to all police and other officials not to invade, threaten hospitals, prevent any injured person from accessing healthcare or interfere with the work of healthcare personnel to treat affected people during any such conflicts.”
Among the signatories to the memorandum are Chennai-based orthopaedist surgeon George Thomas, vascular surgeon J. Amalorpavanathan, psychiatrist Jamila Koshi and general surgeon V. Muralidhar. Dr. George Thomas said doctors as a fraternity had taken up the issue. They had made a representation to the Medical Council of India too.
The forum has cited an earlier letter to the Prime Minister’s Office by the Indian Medical Association, which read: “We have seen several protests in the country. Even when the Emergency was imposed in 1975, hospitals were never touched. This is something which we are seeing for the first time.”
