KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
The doctor body Monday called upon all the doctors across J-K to wear black bands on Wednesday to protest against “continued violence against medical professionals”.
Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) said in a statement, “Doctors are taken as a soft target and are being repeatedly assaulted across the state for no fault.”
There is a fear psychosis in entire medical fraternity, which hampers medical professionals to discharge their duties professionally, the DAK statement said.
“Hospital property worth lakhs is being damaged by the miscreants and it is not possible to replace that property in view of the high cost,” it said. “We appealed Govt innumerable times for the promulgation of an ordinance against violence against medical professionals but our repeated pleas are falling on deaf ears.”
Many representations have been submitted without any result, it said. “Govt possibly is waiting for a big mishap to take place. All the doctors are scared as many miscreants who resort to violence escape the wrath of law and this indirectly encourages them for further violence.”
These actions by the miscreants will lead to efflux of doctors from the state which will further disturb the already disturbed doctor patient ratio, the statement said.
“There is a decorum in terms of number of attends which are to be allowed along with the patients, but in our hospitals scores of people enter hospitals as attendants who ultimately damage hospital property,” the statement said.
“DAK cannot take poor patients as a hostage and thereby go for any kind of strike and that is why it has decided to go for a dignified protest, by wearing black bands, so as to give a message to authorities,” the statement said.
DAK has made it clear to all the stake holders that if any kind of negligence is proved against any doctor, strict action should be taken against the doctor within the ambit of law, it said.
“The ordinance, which DAK has been appealing, is already in place in many states across India. It has been seen that the violence in hospitals has come down dramatically after its implementation,” the statement said. “As per the ordinance, any person found assaulting the medical staff and damaging the hospital is to be arrested without any bail and the said person has to pay three times the cost of the damaged property.”
DAK also condemns the suspension of Dr Sushil Pandita Registrar Medicine GMC Jammu by PMC Jammu for alleged negligence, “Such actions are against the supreme court direction, where in it is to be proved by a committee of experts before initiating any kind of action.”
