MLA’s ‘deserve beating’ jibe draws flak from docs

Thiruvananthapuram: The statement by MLA K B Ganesh Kumar that “a few doctors deserve to be beaten” in the assembly has not gone down well with doctors’ organizations. They have termed it as a “call for a riot” by the MLA, especially at a time when doctors are being targeted at various hospitals across the state.
While describing the ordeal of a widow from his constituency that she had to face at the government medical college, the MLA said while 70% of the doctors in the government sector are doing exemplary services, the remaining 30% are bringing shame to the health sector. Hence a few among them “deserve to be beaten up”, he had said.
However, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has come out against the MLA’s statement.
IMA said, “It is nothing but an open challenge to the law and order system prevailing in the society.” If there are any more attacks against doctors in the state, then the MLA cannot run away from the responsibility of it, said Dr N Sulphi, state president of IMA.
Ganesh had said in the assembly that despite intervention by the minister and the hospital superintendent, the doctor of the general surgery department hesitated to admit the patient. “The widow who is 48 years old had to undergo seven surgeries in one year and the last one was done at the MCH here. But since infection was found from the surgery wound, she had come for a follow-up treatment and the doctor was hesitant in attending to her,” he alleged.
Ganesh, on Wednesday, said that a hospital in Kochi came forward to provide free treatment to the woman and she had been admitted there.
However, the Kerala Government Medical College Teachers Association took out a protest at the Thiruvananthapuram MCH against the MLA’s statement.