VISAKHAPATNAM: Getting a doctor to work in the hospitals in Vizag Agency is a problem. On Tuesday, the doctors and staff of Paderu Area Hospital staged a protest by closing down medical services at the hospital. Reason: a tribal allegedly manhandled a doctor on duty on Monday night.
The incident made many doctors worry about their safety and security. The staff holding placards demanded justice and alleged that they have no security in the Agency.
According to sources, a person from G Madgula visited Paderu Area Hospital for his wife’s treatment, who had taken ill. The doctor was busy with some emergency cases and the patient was told to wait. As it was getting delayed, the woman’s relatives picked up a fight with the doctor and her husband, who was allegedly in an inebriated condition manhandled the doctor.
Additional District Medical and Health Officer (Addl DMHO) Leela Prasad, who was informed of the incident, visited the hospital and spoke to the doctor, who has been working at Paderu Area Hospital for the past one-and-a-half years. The officials examined the CCTV footage and registered an FIR. Leela Prasad promised to report the issue to the Medical Council.
“There is a need to take up awareness campaigns in the Agency to educate the tribals to behave well with the doctors. “In fact, we have been repeatedly educating the tribals about the work of the doctors in the Agency,” Leela Prasad said. Inadequate doctors and staff in primary health centres (PHC) and area hospitals have been one of the major issues in plaguing Agency for many years now. For people living in the Agency, government hospitals are a primary source of healthcare, but no doctor is willing to come forward to work in the Agency.