The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Medicos stage demonstrations

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Nov 16, 2007
ePaper

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Medicos stage demonstrations

Special Correspondent

Duty doctors, PG students share additional workload on account of stir

— Photo: N. Sridharan

VOICING THEIR PROTEST: Students of medical colleges led by Tamil Nadu Medical Students and House Surgeons’ Council taking out a rally in Chennai on Thursday.

CHENNAI: Students of Government Medical Colleges boycotted classes and house surgeons abstained from hospital duty State-wide on Thursday to protest against proposals to introduce compulsory rural postings and extend the five-and-a-half year MBBS course by an additional year.

Rallies and demonstrations also marked the protests led by the Tamil Nadu Medical Students and House Surgeons’ Council.

In Chennai, the medicos took out a rally from Munroe Statue to the State Guest House.

At the major institutions such as Madras Medical College, Kilpauk Medical College and Stanley Medical College, duty doctors and postgraduate students shared the additional workload as a result of house surgeons staying away.

When contacted, the Director of Medical Education said there were no reports of any untoward incident or disruption of hospital services on account of the strike.

In a statement, the Council said the agitation was not against rural services, but against mandatory rural service and temporary postings in PHCs, taluk and district hospitals.

The measure would deprive an estimated 31,000 junior doctors of a permanent job, it said.

The Council sought an explanation from Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss, who they accused of unilaterally imposing the mandatory provision, pre-empting a study of the proposal by a Government-designated panel, on why MBBS graduates could not be given permanent postings in the rural health services.

It also wanted to know whether compulsory rural service was applicable only to Government Medical Colleges.

The Council, which sought the intervention of Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi to resolve the issue at the earliest given the impending examinations, planned to involve medicos in other States.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail