The doctors strike called by the Kerala Government Medical Officer’s Association (KGMOA) partially hit the functioning of the government hospitals in Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram.
While over 500 doctors from the two districts took part in the strike, the in-patients were attended to early in the morning. Doctors were also in attendance for emergency surgeries and in casualty.
However, specialist services were severely hit. KGMOA state president O Vasudevan said that the doctors would go ahead with the non-cooperation movement. “We will attend to patients but will not take part in any government programmes, trainings, meetings or medical camps,” he said.
The token strike was in protest against the action initiated against six doctors in connection with the suspicious circumstances which led to the death of Satnam Singh, a youth from Bihar, at the Government Mental Hospital here in the first week of August. Vasudevan said that the two allegations against the doctors were proved baseless by the post-mortem report.
“One allegation was that the doctors had not reported wounds on Satnam Singh’s body at the time of admission. The post-mortem report clearly says that except for two minor abrasions, almost all the others were fresh wounds,” he said.
“The second allegation regarding the time of death is also false. It is obvious that the investigation report was pre-meditated and meant to save the skin of certain people.
“Action has to be taken against the official who prepared the report and we also demand withdrawal of the punishment served on the doctors,” said Vasudevan.
“The KGMOA in a statement issued here on Monday warned that the strike would spread to other districts in the state if their demands were not met. The State Government would solely be responsible for the difficulties that would follow, the Association said.
The Kerala Government Medical College Teachers Association declared its support for the strike by the KGMOA.
“The KGMCTA feels that the duty doctors are being unnecessarily victimised and dragged into the case relating to the assault on Satnam Singh. Such knee-jerk reactions of the government resulting in the transfer
and suspension of the doctors are unfortunate and unwarranted,” said KGMCTA president K Mohanan and secretary S Kishore in the statement.
Meanwhile, the DYFI has requested the doctors to withdraw the strike, as it causes problems and hardships to the poor people already distressed with viral fever and other epidemics. The DYFI also believes that the investigation into the murder is being derailed and has asked the State Government to bring out the truth through a judicial investigation.
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