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IMA puts riders on govt order for OPD, emergency services at private hospitals
The response comes in the wake of an order by Patna civil surgeon, Dr Raj Kishore Chaudhary, asking them to keep both the services functional in public interest.
The Bihar chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has asked the state government to ensure availability of protective equipment and security of doctors before requesting the management of private hospitals and nursing homes to keep their outdoor patient department (OPD) and emergency services functional during the lockdown.
The response comes in the wake of an order by Patna civil surgeon, Dr Raj Kishore Chaudhary, asking them to keep both the services functional in public interest.
In his letter, dated April 1, a copy of which is available with the Hindustan Times, Dr Chaudhary mentioned about the formation of special teams under the district magistrate and the civil surgeon to check it. This has not gone down well among doctors.
“The mention of special teams in the civil surgeon’s letter was unwarranted,” IMA-Bihar secretary Dr Sunil Kumar said in an e-mailed response to the civil surgeon Thursday.
Dr Kumar said compelling doctors for extending medical consultation through OPD and emergency services, without ensuring availability of protective equipment for doctors, was fraught with risk, as it could lead to a spike in Covid-19 cases. It was for this reason, he said, the state health authorities had shut OPD services at hospitals till block level.
The IMA, however, said Dr Kumar, had appealed to its members to continue with limited OPD and emergency services, after keeping their safety in mind.
While urging the civil surgeon to provide protective equipment, which they were willing to procure, he said the government should deploy security guards for crowd management and ensuring safety of doctors and health workers if the mob became aggressive. The IMA secretary said the government should also constitute an expert committee at the state and district level, having representation of the IMA, before issuing any such advisory in future.
Patna civil surgeon Dr Choudhary said he was yet to receive any such letter. However, IMA-Bihar senior vice-president, Dr Ajay Kumar, had shared with this reporter the screenshot of e-mail the IMA had sent to the civil surgeon.
“Why do they (the IMA office-bearers) not talk to me directly? I am also a life member of the IMA, and will never want to harm the interest of doctors,” the civil surgeon said.
“In the absence of public transport, not many patients will visit their clinics, unless absolutely essential. So, there is no question of crowding at their respective establishments. Since there are many private hospitals and nursing homes, all we want is to facilitate medical facility to the public in their respective area so that they do not have to travel on foot or other means of transport during the lockdown,” Dr Chaudhary said.
“After all, doctors are meant to serve humanity, and this is an opportunity, they should rise to the occasion,” he signed off.
