Pune doctors upset with sternly-worded notice from PMC asking clinics, hospitals to be kept open

PMC has issued a notice to keep the clinics open in the lockdown period asking for explanation as to why it was closed

A large number of private city doctors have registered their protest with the Indian Medical Association (IMA, Pune chapter) against a notice served to them by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) warning stern action if their clinics are found to be shut during regular hours.

Kataria Hospital wrote to the IMA stating that it was among the hospitals that was functioning throughout the lockdown with sanitisers, masks and social distancing measures. (Pratham Gokhale/HT File Photo)

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has issued a notice to keep the hospital / dispensary open in the lockdown period asking for explanation as to why it was closed. To this many of the doctors have strongly condemned this and have written to the India Medical Association (IMA) Pune.

The notice issued by Pune municipal commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad said that the civic body has observed that many private hospital and dispensaries were being kept closed. The commissioner ordered these hospitals and clinics to function normally failing which the PMC would be forced to file an FIR (first information report) under section 188 of Indian Penal Code, 1860.

The notice stated that Maharashtra government under sections 2,3 and 4 of the Epidemic Disease Act, 1897 had authorised the Municipal Commissioner “to take any prevention and containment measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 (coronavirus).”

Dr Sanjay Patil, IMA (Pune) president , said, “PMC has sent a blanket notice to everyone without any verification, but internally, we are also verifying with our members. We will complete our verification by tonight (Wednesday night) and send in our findings to the PMC tomorrow. Meanwhile, we have verbally spoken to the commissioner about this.”

“A number of doctors were angry with PMC for issuing the notice and raised the issue with the IMA apart from discussing it within their fraternity. A large number of the 4,800 members of the IMA had written to the association president,” Dr Patil said.

They sought guidelines and protocols to be followed and also sought clarity on when they could resume elective surgery.

Kataria Hospital wrote to the IMA stating that it was among the hospitals that was functioning throughout the lockdown with sanitisers, masks and social distancing measures.

Dr Patil said that IMA had already followed all the rules and guidelines laid down by the government wherein doctors above the age of 60 years were exempted from working. “If we have husband and wife team of doctors, they have clarified that they have divided the clinic timings so as to manage their homes. Similarly, some doctors are following telemedicine queries hence their clinics are not open, while some have changed the timings of their clinic in accordance with the lockdown,” Dr Patil said.