The Hindu : Kerala News : Mixed response to doctors' stir

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Wednesday, Jan 10, 2007
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Kerala

Mixed response to doctors' stir

Staff Reporter

`Doctors should not use strike as a weapon'

KOCHI: When medical professionals strike work, a man's life could be at stake.

"I am saddened by the call for strike by the doctors," said public health campaigner C.R. Soman, chairman, Health Action by People. Doctors should behave with much more responsibility, he said. Strike is the last weapon in the armoury to fight injustice, but doctor should not use it, he said.

"I'm not questioning the legitimate grievance of the doctors."

But, there is no justice in this action, Dr. Soman said. The medical organisations should not take to the trade union mentality, he added. There will be repercussions since immediate medical attention would fail during a strike, he said. According to Junaid Rehman, Resident Medical Officer, District General Hospital, the doctors were in an agitated mood. This strike is a last resort for them to be heard, he said.

"We are asking for the law to prevail. There are definite directives to be followed in arresting a doctor. There have been many cases in which Vigilance had laid a trap and caught doctors red-handed for taking bribes. There has been no agitation about these arrests," he added.

If a situation where doctors can be arrested without any evidence or mere hearsay continues, it will set a bad trend for the medical professionals in the State, Dr. Rehman said.

"Actually, the strike should not be taking place," said S. Balakrishnan, President of the Ernakulam District Residents Association's Apex Council. "But there is a truth in what they (doctors) say too."

Facilities are meagre in government hospitals. It is a common sight to see patients sharing beds, said Mr. Balakrishnan.

The Government has to provide facilities for the doctors to perform. It is easy to blame the doctor, he added. The doctor may have asked for a bribe, but he would have also ordered a scan, Mr. Balakrishnan said.

But, the situation, perhaps, would have been different had the doctor concerned been more amiable, he said. If the bystanders of the patient got agitated, it could have been because of the lack of bedside manners of the doctor.

The doctors' attitude is of prime importance to the people, he said.

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