CHENNAI: Even as there is a shortage of doctors and nurses in the state and the government is trying to bridge the gap by recruiting new doctors and recalling retired people, it is reluctant to engage many others who are ready to chip in.
Five MPs and six MLAs, who are doctors, have expressed their willingness to treat Covid-19 patients, but the hurdle is that the government is not responding.
Across the globe, many doctors who have turned politicians, sportspersons and models, have gone back to medical practice.
Many states in India have engaged doctor-turned-politicians to treat Covid-19 patients. For instance, in Bihar, West Champaran BJP MP, Sanjay Jaiswal, who is also the state chief of the party, is devoting a few hours daily for medical practice.
Dr Kalanidhi Veerasamy, MP of North Chennai, which has become the epicentre of the pandemic in Chennai, rues that the government has not even consulted him on the work that needs to be done in his constituency.
“Not even once did the state government consult me as an MP of the Lok Sabha constituency or as a doctor on how to prevent the spread of the virus. I have been meeting Chennai Corporation commissioner out of my own interest to know about the situation in the constituency,” Veerasamy, a dermatologist, told TOI.
He said the Centre had sought the suggestions of all doctors among the MPs before the pandemic started spreading in the country. “On the last day of the Parliament’s budget session, we were asked to give our suggestions. Almost all of us gave,” said Veerasamy.
If Veerasamy is from the opposition camp, the government has not taken into confidence doctors-turned-MLAs in the ruling party too. “I was expecting to be inducted into the medical experts’ committee. But till now, neither have they sought my service nor have they asked for any suggestion,” said AIADMK’s former IT minister and Ramanathapuram MLA Dr M Manikandan, a surgeon. He said he was ready to treat people wherever the government wanted him to work.
Dharmapuri MP Dr Senthilkumar, a radiologist, said several times, through media, he had expressed his wish to treat patients. “I am ready to work in any district. At least three times, I have told the government too. But there is no response,” he said.
The government has a different take on the issue. A senior bureaucrat said, “We can bank on only those doctors who have not taken a break from their practice. A degree or theoretical knowledge is not enough to treat patients. Regular practice is a must.”
Five MPs and six MLAs, who are doctors, have expressed their willingness to treat Covid-19 patients, but the hurdle is that the government is not responding.
Across the globe, many doctors who have turned politicians, sportspersons and models, have gone back to medical practice.
Many states in India have engaged doctor-turned-politicians to treat Covid-19 patients. For instance, in Bihar, West Champaran BJP MP, Sanjay Jaiswal, who is also the state chief of the party, is devoting a few hours daily for medical practice.
Dr Kalanidhi Veerasamy, MP of North Chennai, which has become the epicentre of the pandemic in Chennai, rues that the government has not even consulted him on the work that needs to be done in his constituency.
“Not even once did the state government consult me as an MP of the Lok Sabha constituency or as a doctor on how to prevent the spread of the virus. I have been meeting Chennai Corporation commissioner out of my own interest to know about the situation in the constituency,” Veerasamy, a dermatologist, told TOI.
He said the Centre had sought the suggestions of all doctors among the MPs before the pandemic started spreading in the country. “On the last day of the Parliament’s budget session, we were asked to give our suggestions. Almost all of us gave,” said Veerasamy.
If Veerasamy is from the opposition camp, the government has not taken into confidence doctors-turned-MLAs in the ruling party too. “I was expecting to be inducted into the medical experts’ committee. But till now, neither have they sought my service nor have they asked for any suggestion,” said AIADMK’s former IT minister and Ramanathapuram MLA Dr M Manikandan, a surgeon. He said he was ready to treat people wherever the government wanted him to work.
Dharmapuri MP Dr Senthilkumar, a radiologist, said several times, through media, he had expressed his wish to treat patients. “I am ready to work in any district. At least three times, I have told the government too. But there is no response,” he said.
The government has a different take on the issue. A senior bureaucrat said, “We can bank on only those doctors who have not taken a break from their practice. A degree or theoretical knowledge is not enough to treat patients. Regular practice is a must.”
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