E-Paper
PGIMER doctors stage protest, demand safe working environment
PGIMER’ association of resident doctors president Dr Rahul Chakravarty said with cases of harassment of doctors increasing, a safe working environment was the need of the hour
The resident doctors of the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), under the banner of association of resident doctors (ARD), conducted a peaceful protest on Wednesday and demanded a safe working environment for the doctors.
The protest came a day after a female gynaecologist working at a private hospital in Rajasthan’s Dausa district committed suicide as she was stressed over the FIR filed against her under charges of murder based on unproven allegations of medical negligence. The deceased was blamed of murder by the family of a patient who died during childbirth.
While talking to media ARD president Dr Rahul Chakravarty said, “Workplace harassment of doctors continues unabated and this time under the cover of people who you would normally turn to for ensuring law enforcement.”
“The doctor, a senior obstetrician who has saved innumerous lives during her tenure could not bear the injustice meted to her. Against all the guidelines of Supreme Court, without any investigation, police had registered a case under Section 302 (attempt to murder) against her,” he elaborated.
The protesting doctors further said, “The incident has shaken the foundation of medical practice in India. If this doctor was a murderer, then every doctor is a murderer because we can’t save all lives. All doctors should be booked for Section 302 and barred from practice.”
They demanded a law for the protection of doctors in such incidents,adding “The doctors of PGIMER demand a central law to protect doctors and punish all those who assault doctors. Also, there should be an easy way of filing FIRs for doctors in cases of assault and harassment.”
