PALAKKAD: Kongad legislator K Shanthakumari courted controversy for her remark that doctors’ “attitude” was the cause for “incidents” befalling on them. Coming in the wake of the taluk hospital incident in Kottarakkara, where a female doctor was stabbed to death, the MLA’s remarks drew flak from several quarters.
The incident that prompted such a remark from the CPM MLA occurred on Thursday. K Shanthakumari had brought her husband to the casualty of the district hospital in Palakkad at 8.15 pm following a high fever. The doctor on duty, R Roshni, touched the patient and was convinced that he had a high fever and needed to be administered an injection. Before the doctor could elaborate further, an irked Shanthakumari questioned her for not using the thermometer. “Is this the way you see whether a patient has a fever? Where is the thermometer?” Shanthakumari allegedly asked.
Roshni clarified that there was a heavy rush at the hospital then, and several emergency cases needed to be attended to. But paying no heed to this, the MLA said that it was because of this attitude that doctors were at the receiving end of “incidents”.
Roshni said that this remark by an elected representative pained her, especially given a time when doctors across the state were grieving the death of a colleague.
Dr T N Gopikrishnan, the district secretary of the Kerala Government Medical Officers Association (KGMOA), told TNIE that a complaint had been lodged with the Director of Health Services. The health minister has also been appraised.
Meanwhile, Shanthakumari has dismissed the allegations. She maintained that she had only questioned why the doctor did not use a thermometer. “I do not expect any preferential treatment as an MLA. I did not make any disparaging remark on the doctor,” Shanthakumari said.