The Hindu : Front Page : Doctors to strike work on Friday

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Monday, Jan 08, 2007
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Doctors to strike work on Friday

Staff Reporter

KOCHI: Doctors in the State will go on a `medical strike' on Friday to press their demands.

Their demands include an expert committee probe into allegations against Dr. P. Ashokan of Kottayam Medical College on charges of negligence and corruption, following the death of a patient in the college hospital recently.

The strike is expected to be total with doctors in the Government and private sectors keeping away from work.

IMA demand

Addressing a press meet here after an emergency State working committee meeting of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Sunday, the officer-bearers demanded that the charges against Dr. Ashokan be withdrawn. They said an expert committee, comprising the District Medical Officer public prosecutor and forensic expert, should probe the incident as per the Supreme Court directives.

They demanded that the State Government take a positive approach to the doctors practising in the private and Government sector by providing appropriate protection.

Unless the doctors were freed from the fear of being manhandled and assaulted for every death that occurred in hospitals, they would not be able to discharge their duties, said a panel of doctors. The panel also sought better infrastructure in the Government sector to provide better treatment to patients.

Joseph Mani, immediate former president, IMA; C.K. Chandrasekharan, president, IMA; T. Ramesh, secretary, IMA; and Sunny P. Orathel, president, the Kerala Government Medical Officers Association, addressed the press meet. On a query as to who would be responsible for any casualty on the day of the strike, the doctors said the Government would have to bear the responsibility for any untoward incident in hospitals on that day.

The panel defended Dr. Ashokan. They said that there was no evidence against the doctor that warranted his arrest and that the police officer should have followed the law.

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