Postgraduate medical students at Government Medical College, Kozhikode, are peeved with the authorities over the way in which two junior resident doctors were reportedly forced to join COVID duty at the Government General Hospital here, though their course period had already ended.
Functionaries of the Kerala Postgraduate Medical Association (KPGMA) claimed on Thursday that the college authorities had extended the period of service of junior residency of V. Thasreefa, MD in Anesthesiology and Fareeda Karimbanakkal, diploma in Anesthesiology. Pointing out that only the Kerala University of Health Sciences had the power to do so, they said that the subsequent order posting them for COVID duty at the General Hospital did not have details on their remuneration and period of service. “Medical college authorities cannot extend the junior residency service if the course period has ended. It is learnt that they were threatened to join duty. Also, those two were supposed to appear for their exams in December. This would affect their academic work as well,” KPGMA leaders said.
Collector’s order
Meanwhile, another order issued by District Collector S. Sambasiva Rao on Wednesday said that the General Hospital was converted into a dedicated COVID hospital as the present treatment centres were inadequate for meeting the increasing need. Over 150 people had been admitted there, many of whom were on intensive care unit (ICU) support. The period of service of junior residency of Dr. Thasreefa and Dr. Fareeda Karimbanakkal were extended and they were posted at the hospital in these circumstances. The Superintendent at the hospital, however, had intimated that both the doctors had not yet reported for duty. Mothers having kids aged less than a year were exempted from duty, the order said, adding that if they did not do so, they were liable to be punished under sections 51 and 56 of the Disaster Management Act and the Kerala Epidemic Ordinance 2020. Subsequently, both of them joined duty on Thursday.
The students union, house surgeons’ association, the Students Federation of India and the KPGMA have formed a joint action council to drive home their complaints.
As the first step, they have stopped COVID data entry activities and left WhatsApp groups where updates related to the pandemic are posted.
