TEZPUR, June 17 - The Assam State branch of the Indian Medical Association while expressing serious concern over the security of health providers, especially the doctors in different health establishments of the country, condemned in the strongest terms the recent incidence of gruesome brutality on two resident doctors of NRS Medical College in Kolkata.
In a press release, Dr Satyajit Borah and Dr Hemanga Baishya, State president and honorary State secretary of IMA�s Assam State branch stated that in the tragic incident, one of the doctors, namely Dr Paribaha Mukharjee suffered a severe head injury when two truckloads of goons attacked the hapless doctors after a patient�s death.
Dr Mukharjee is still fighting for his life after a surgery. In protest against such unsavoury incidents, along with the rest of the country, in many places of Assam too, all the doctors staged dharna in protest on Friday by wearing black badges.
The office-bearers of the doctors� body while condemning the growing trend of intolerance against doctors and paramedical staff and subsequent assault on doctors and ransacking of hospital property by miscreants in the guise of patients� relatives and well-wishers, felt that this kind of behaviour on the part of a section of society are but ominous signals that go against a congenial and smooth healthcare service in the society.
�The IMA is also concerned at the lukewarm response on the part of the law-enforcing agencies resulting in release of the culprits after a few hours or days in police custody. Assam too is witness to such barbarism on doctors in recent days. It is unfortunate that though the state has a strong law in place against such violence, however, the provisions of this Act are not imposed in most such instances for reasons unknown,� the IMA rued, adding that hospitals in Assam have become the most vulnerable place for such miscreants to twist arms on any small pretext. These types of incidents often have far-reaching negative implications in the healthcare system and might prove as a deterrent for doctors and other health workers to work in a free and secure atmosphere. Delivering healthcare under constant pressure and fear cannot be a sign of a healthy society, they maintained.
On the other hand, Dr Atul Kumar Kalita, president of IMA�s Tezpur branch and Dr Angarag Bhagawati, secretary, while condemning the growing incidents of attack on doctors by miscreants in the name of protesting against poor performance of the doctors, told this Correspondent that after backing the nationwide protest programme, the Tezpur chapter of IMA submitted two separate memorandums to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah and demanded exemplary punishment to the culprits involved in the recent Kolkatta incident and ensure security to the healthcare service providers, specially the doctors.
