CHENNAI/COIMBATORE: Majority of government doctors across the state staged a boycott protest by skipping official meetings and exiting official WhatsApp groups on Monday condemning alleged mistreatment by certain collectors, directors and senior health department officials.
Doctors said the most recent incident was during a review meeting with deans by the National Health Mission (Tamil Nadu) Mission Director (MD-NHM). The MD-NHM reportedly had said he would hold the head of department and medical college dean accountable for any maternal or fever related deaths and doctors who feel the salary was less could leave their jobs.
Tamil Nadu Government Doctors Association (TNGDA) said they will encourage all fever cases, even if those patients had fever for just one day, to get admitted as instructed by the MD-NHM as a mark of protest from Tuesday. They will also stop elective procedures in obstetrics and gynaecology and family welfare surgeries.
The TNGDA, in a release, said fever and cold cases have now increased across the state owing to the season. At least 10% of patients, particularly children, come to hospitals. If all of them are admitted as in-patients, at least 10,000 people would get admitted every day. Around 95% of patients will not be willing to get admitted. This protest is to show that senior officers are allegedly “torturing” doctors, and impractical suggestions like these will not work. But, doctors will not admit even one patient without their consent, the release said.
The Federation of Government Doctors Association also held demonstration at Government Stanley Medical College Hospital. The TNGDA wrote a letter to CM requesting him to protect the dignity and self-respect of the doctors.
More than 600 doctors working at Coimbatore Medical College Hospital, Government Medical College and ESI Hospital and other government hospitals avoided official meetings and exited from around 93 WhatsApp groups on Monday, said T Kanagarajan, district president of TNGDA.
“The officials have created a situation where if there is no WhatsApp, the entire health system of the state would be affected. They are forcing us to participate in meetings and send reports throughout the day via WhatsApp,” he said.