Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 25: Resident Doctors Association, Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Jammu and Associated Hospitals today suspended the routine work, OPDs and Operation Theatres against the illegal suspension of a registrar of Medicine Department.
However, the emergency services and ward work were kept out of the purview of the strike in order to avoid any inconvenience to the general public.
A huge rush of patients was witnessed in Emergency Section as well as OPDs of almost every department. The on-duty senior doctors had to overwork due to huge turnout of the patients.
Since morning the gloomy environment in GMCH Jammu and associated hospitals led all the Registrars and PG doctors to gherao the Principal GMCH Jammu, Dr Ghanshyam Dev Gupta, who miserably failed to give any explanation about the illegal suspension of Dr Sushil Pandita on Satuday evening.
The RDA members barged into the room of Dr Ghanshyam Dev and shouted slogans against him and higher administration and demanded immediate revocation of the suspension of the doctor, constitution of the enquiry committee and lodging of a missing complaint, as the said medico was missing since the time of verbal suspension.
Taking strong exception about the dictatorial, unethical, high headed and deplorable attitude of the Hospital Administration particularly Principal GMC Jammu for ordering suspensions without conducting any inquiry, RDA demanded immediate removal of the Principal GMCH.
“How can one suspend a senior registrar without any formal enquiry? Such should not happen in future and in this concern we want a written assurance from the higher authorities. We want this principal to be removed with immediate effect”, said Dr Neeraj Sharma, president RDA.
He said the routine work will remain suspended in the hospital till tomorrow morning when the association will meet again and decide the future course of action in consultations with MTA and Paramedical Staff Union, who also supported their strike.
“We will not resume the routine work till this Principal is removed and enquiry is initiated against him for all his doings i.e illegal suspensions and procurement of substandard intravenous fluids and drip sets” said Dr Zulfikar, Dr Dhirender Dev and Dr Bishen Singh Thakur all senior members of the RDA.
They said that the frequency of Drip reactions has markedly increased over the last 2 years and it has been repeatedly brought into the notice of the MS and Principal GMC Jammu but despite all reminders with dozens in written, the administration failed to take appropriate corrective measures.
“This administration is fond of destroying the morale of its workforce by imposing dictators like Dr Ghanshyam Dev, Principal GMCH, Jammu. We want his immediate removal from the post and impartial enquires to fix his role in non availabilities of Trollies, Oxygen lines in wards, drinking water for patients and their attendants in emergencies and non availability of essential drugs in emergency”, RDA members said.
However, when contacted, Principal GMCH claimed that no work was suspended by any doctor of the GMCH and the work was going on smoothly. He said that RDA members had approached him at his office with some demands including revocation of suspension order of Dr Sushil Pandita and constitution of enquiry committee in the death of a media person’s grandfather due to alleged negligence of the doctor, which have been accepted.
Meanwhile, Doctors’ Association Kashmir (DAK) also expressed dismay over the suspension of Dr Sushil Pandita, Registrar Medicine of Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu for alleged medical negligence.
President, DAK, Dr Nisar ul Hassan in a statement issued here said, “The suspension of Dr Sushil Pandita is unjustified and illegal. The suspension is against Supreme Court judgment wherein a doctor cannot be held liable for medical negligence unless established by an expert panel. Doctors accused of negligence cannot be arrested simply because charges have been leveled against them”.
“A simple lack of care, error of judgment or an accident, even fatal, will not constitute culpable medical negligence. It is unfortunate that doctors in our State are suspended and arrested for medical negligence without inquiry which is disservice to the society”, he said, adding a surgeon with shaky hands cannot perform a successful operation and a quivering physician cannot administer life saving dose of medicine under fear of facing a criminal prosecution.
He further said that doctors were blamed for 500 infant deaths in GB pant hospital in 2012 which was later attributed to substandard drugs. “There are serious lapses in healthcare and infrastructural deficiencies in Government hospitals which are responsible for deaths but authorities in order to cover up their inefficiencies blame doctors”, he added.
He said DAK demands immediate revocation of suspension of Dr Sushil Pandita and a probe into the death of the patient.
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