All private hospitals across the district will remain closed on May 2 to protest against the increasing attack on nursing homes and seeking implementation of Supreme Court guidelines on providing protection to the medical fraternity.
In a letter to the Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, C.N. Raja, Honorary State Secretary, Indian Medical Association Tamil Nadu and RVS. Surendran, State President, complained that law enforcing authorities were not taking action on attacks on doctors and para-medicals and destruction of property by kin of patients with support from anti-social elements.
It was unfair to blame doctors or hospitals when patients die despite the best possible treatment, the letter said, drawing the Government’s attention to a Supreme Court judgment that explains clearly that doctors must not be harassed.
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An FIR should not be filed unless an expert doctor proves prima facie negligence based on post-mortem and other reports.
The State Government, the letter said, had also gone a step further by taking a stand that the doctors must not be arrested routinely even when a FIR is filed.
Doctors discharging their professional duties must not be booked under PCR Act, the representation said, referring to such instances in Erode district, and demanded declaration of hospital and healthcare institutions as ‘Protected Zones.’
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The IMA also wanted posting of security guards for hospital protection services in both government and private hospitals either by the government alone or under government-private partnership mode.
To protest against the increasing attack on nursing homes and doctors