Pediatrician on duty murdered in Uttrakhand
Sad State of Govt Hospitals in India. The duty doctors are facing life threat and even murdered at hospitals.
This story has become a regular thing at govt. and also many private hospitals where doctors on duty are harassed, beaten and even murdered for no major reason. The law enforcement is not able to protect and prevent such incidences even after repeated requests from medical community. This is causing newer generation to not opt for medical profession.
Dehradun: The Provincial Medical Health Services (PMHS), an association of government doctors of Uttarakhand has declared that all government hospitals across the state will remain shut on Thursday, only emergency and post-mortem unit will be open.
The doctors are infuriated by the killing of Dr. S. K. Singh, paediatrician, while he was on duty in Jaspur-based Community Health Centre (CHC) on Wednesday. Doctors have said that they might even shut the emergency services and go on an indefinite strike, if administration fails in nabbing the culprit at the earliest.
“Doctors have been calmly working under adverse conditions and challenging terrain of Uttarkhand despite all such compromises, they remain a target of anti-social elements. We will not bear it anymore and go on an indefinite strike if our deceased colleague doesn’t get justice. The culprit should be nabbed immediately and action be taken instantly.” expressed Dr. SK Goswami, president, PMHS.
It is noteworthy that the deceased doctor is tagged as one of the finest doctors of Udham Singh Nagar and was a 1994 Uttara Pradesh cadre doctor and ever since posted in that CHC where he breathed his last today.
“Looks like his effective treatment for patients became a cause of his death too, unfortunately. The shooter had said to the doctor “aaj to chutti hai fir kyun patients ko dekh rahe ho” which indicates that doctor might have refused from treating any patient while on off, and out of rage this person has shot him dead. Two youths had come on a numberless white-coloured apache bike which was parked outside the CHC premises and in front of a medical store. Dr. Singh as was one of the most decent doctors of our team, away from the world of glitz and glamour and renowned for his best treatment across the region.” said H. K. Joshi, Chief Medical Officer, Udham Singh Nagar.
Meanwhile, the IMA- Uttarakhand chapter has also declared that Udham Singh Nagar-based all the private practitioners will keep OPDs shut as a mark of respect towards the deceased doctor.
“This is shocking incident, IMA condemns attack against doctors. All the doctors in state will wear black badge against failed security for medical staff on Thursday. OPDs, especially in Kashipur, Baazpur, Rudrapur and Jaspur region, will remain shut on Thursday. The decision to come in support of protesting PMHS doctors will totally depend on the promptness of actions taken by administration to nab the culprit.” Dr. D D Choudhury, hony. state secretary, IMA Uttarakhand.
Expressing the anger of doctors, Dr Goswami said, “The incident had happened when there is no political power behind anti-social elements which is daunting, prevailing volatile political situation demands robust security. It is really shameful that people can walk into a health centre with a weapon and kill somebody. It clearly shows the negligence of the police. We want immediate action from the governor on the matter.”
It is noteworthy that there is a whopping 60% shortage of allopathic doctors in Uttarakhand. Of 2699 sanctioned posts for allopathic practitioners under provincial medical and health services, only 1080 doctors were appointed by the state government till February 1, 2016.
Source: TOI
