Do not mingle COVID-19 emergency with law & order: Doctors
Irfan Tramboo
SRINAGAR, May 26: The resident doctors and faculty members of Government Medical College (GMC), Srinagar during a protest today said that the police personnel on roads should not mingle the COVID-19 emergency with any law and order situation.
Scores of doctors and faculty members assembled here at the Super Specialty Hospital, Shireen Bagh to protest the alleged highhandedness of the police, who as per them, have been indulging in the harassment of doctors on the roads on a daily basis.
The doctors said that instead of providing them with a safe passage while they are on their way to attend to their duties, the security forces on the ground usually create hurdles for them.
“We are putting our lives at risk, even the lives of our families, but how are we being treated on roads, we are out to help people and the attitude towards us is totally unfortunate,” a doctor said.
Dr Syed Maqbool, who was detained by police and lodged in Police Station Zadibal earlier, was also part of the token protest. He said that if the doctors are risking their lives, they should be treated accordingly.
“We don’t take things lightly amid the pandemic, even if leaving home might kill us, we will not stop from serving people,” he said.
He appealed to police as well as the administration to ensure safe and smooth passage for doctors in every situation. “If they have to stop others, they can do that, but they should not create issues for us,” he said.
Another faculty member of the GMC, Srinagar who also a part of the protest told Excelsior that the police have to separate COVID-19 health emergency and the law and order situation.
“What we are facing is not any law and order situation, it is pandemic and cannot be dealt with the same measures that are put to use during any typical law and order situation; and such a change in the mindset has to come from the top,” he said.
On the other side, while the earlier incident of detaining the doctor was still in the news, Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Bandipora Dr Tajamul Hussain was stopped and was not allowed to move beyond a naka set up by the police after the CMO was scheduled to visit a nearby quarantine centre.
The concerned health official was seen protesting after he was stopped by the police in a video that was circulated on social media platforms.
Dr Tajamul told Excelsior that despite knowing everything, the policemen did not allow his vehicle to proceed towards the quarantine centre.
“I had to call my Deputy Commissioner who told me to handover to the policeman on duty, but they just yelled at him and did not budge. It was only when a DySP reached the spot and apologized and our vehicle was allowed to move,” he said.
A professor and a couple of senior faculty members of Lal Ded Hospital in Srinagar were harassed today evening after the police and paramilitary personnel did not allow them to proceed further.
A female faculty member told Excelsior that she along with several other doctors traveling in their private vehicles were not allowed to move.
“There is a faculty parking from the backside near the Children Park, we left from there and were stopped near the stadium and were not allowed to move ahead as there were barricades erected there,” the faculty member said.
She added the police told them that they were not their servants. “We got up and tried to remove the barricades ourselves, but they shouted at us like anything. The CRPF men started the shouting and the J&K police joined them,” the doctors said.
They said that it took them at least 30 minutes to get out of there. The senior doctors had to call their Medical Superintendent, who then had to call the concerned SHO.
“Only after that we were allowed to proceed ahead, otherwise we were stuck there,” the doctors said.
Confirming, the incident, Medical Superintendent of Lal Ded Hospital Dr Shabir Siddiqui told Excelsior that it was unfortunate that the senior-most doctors were stopped. He said that he will apprise the higher-ups about the daily happenings of this sort and will demand action.
The doctors who were stopped said that their resident doctors keep on complaining about such incidents on and off. “This is very unfortunate and should not happen at all,” they said.
Meanwhile, the Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) announced that black band protests across Jammu and Kashmir will be held following back to back episodes of manhandling and harassing the doctors.
“We are announcing a one day black band protest on Wednesday (27 May) against the excesses by Government forces against the healthcare providers,” president DAK Dr Suhail Naik said.
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