ANANTAPUR: Hundreds of doctors took to the streets here on Thursday demanding action against a Telugu Desam Party corporator who allegedly manhandled and verbally abused a woman doctor.
The medicos called off the strike only after a case was registered against him and his henchmen under IPC Section 353 following the directions of principal secretary Poonam Malakondaiah. According to sources, the corporator from Anantapur Municipal Corporation’s 6th division, T Natesh Choudary, visited Anantapur Government Hospital on Wednesday night to meet party worker Ramu who had been admitted there. When he could not find Ramu at the hospital, Natesh approached Dr T Malleshwari Devi who explained that the patient had been shifted to another hospital for better treatment as his condition was serious.
Infuriated, Natesh hurled abuses at her and said she was “incapable of becoming a doctor” and those who employed her “should be slippered”. The corporator’s goons too verbally abused and pushed her during the argument. Government doctors, including professors, converged at the Indian Medical Association (IMA) hall and took out a march to the SP’s office demanding an audience with him.
SP GVG Ashok Kumar reportedly permitted a 30-member team to meet him, but all the protesting doctors wanted to be a part of the discussion. With this, the doctors marched to the Clock Tower centre at the heart of Anantapur town and formed a human chain to protest the corporator’s highhandedness. The demonstrators also demanded that the security of doctors be beefed up given the frequent attacks against them.