After the Sunday break as people made beelines outside the Hospital for routine medical check up today they were shocked to know that Doctors are on mass leave protesting against the State Government for failing to provide security and safety to the Medical Officers and interference and threatening by the politicians for not succumbing to their pressure.
Talking to Himvani, General Secretary Himachal Pradesh Medical Officers Association (HMOA) Dr. Sant Lal said that Resident Doctors Associations of IGMC Shimla and Dr. RPMGC Tanda and Dental Doctors Association came in support of HMOA and they went on the mass leave. He said that all district committees of HMOA convened press conference on the district level today to highlight their demands. He claimed that health services in the State remained crippled across the state today as around 1400 medical officers across the State went on on mass leave.
He said that they have given the call of mass leave as they could not press the State Government to draw the attention toward their genuine demands as it fails to provide security from politically connected and influential people who are unleashing their terror during duty hours on the doctors. He said that HMOA was forced to take this coercive action today as the long pending assurance of safety of doctors in the hospitals did not fulfill so far.
Despite continue raising the issue since last last four years, the State Government remained silent. He claimed that a doctor, after facing humiliation at the hands of politically connected people at Una hospital, had suffered heart attack, moreover a doctor in Bilaspur was on leave fearing the wrath of a Congress local MLA Bambar Thakur and his associates. He said that on December 22, some people forced the doctor at Una hospital to see a patient in the car but when he asked them to bring the patient inside, they misbehaved despite the fact that the patient was brought dead. “After four hours, those politically connected people forced the doctor to apologize to the dead body and on January 18, the doctor suffered heart attack,” alleged HMOA Secretary.
A doctor in Bilaspur hospital who did not issue the Medical Certificates on the will of Congress legislator who allegedly threatened the doctors. HMOA pointed out that they could not served their duty honestly when a doctor has been forced to lock himself in his house in a fear as he did not want to invite the wrath of the MLA on coming out. Doctors alleged that those are misbehaving with the doctors are influential people with political connections, the government was holding back from acting tough on them.
The resorted mass leave today as the Chief Minister Mr Virbhadra Singh, health minister Kaul Singh Thakur and health secretary Mr. Parbodh Sexsena did not utter single words on the repeated assault on the doctors. He said that similar incidents during the duty have been occurred in Riwalsar of Mandi, Sainj of Kullu and Una recently.
Health and family welfare minister Kaul Singh Thakur said the Government is concerned for the safety and security of doctors at their work places and has sent non-bailable provision in Medi-Person Act to law department for legal opinion. “After advice of the Law Department, the Act could be brought for change in the legislative assembly,” Thakur added. Dr. Lal said that all emergency and trauma services were kept out of mass leave and doctors posted there are working routinely today. Number of patients were forced to take services of private doctors after finding no doctors in the DDU and IGMC and other health units.
