Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana on Thursday condemned the brutal attacks on doctors who have stood like a rock between the COVID-19 virus and thousands of emotionally and physically vulnerable patients confined to isolation in hospital wards during the pandemic.
The Chief Justice said it was saddening that doctors were being brutally attacked while on duty. “Why is it that the medical professionals are at the receiving end for someone else’s failure? Issues such as insufficient number of medical professionals, infrastructure, medicines, outdated technologies, and government not giving priory to medical sector are issues of immediate concern,” Chief Justice Ramana said in his speech on Doctors’ Day at the launch of Research Society for the Study of Diabetes in India’s ‘Defeat Diabetes Campaign’.
The CJI highlighted Indian Medical Association’s data that over 798 doctors died in the second wave.
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“This decade is defined by the healing touch and the sacrifices made by our doctors… When thousands of physically and emotionally vulnerable patients stood isolated in their hospital wards, it was the doctors who kept hope alive even in times of despair,” Chief Justice Ramana said.
The CJI said it was disheartening to find many qualified doctors struggling to earn a decent salary even after years of hard work. Yet, doctors are blamed for the profiteering streak of corporates and investors.
“The medical bodies and agencies concerned in the government have to put their heads together to address these concerns. Only then can we sincerely greet the doctors on the first of July every year,” the CJI said.
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