AS-IMA-PROTEST

Doc assault: IMA threatens to launch countrywide ceasework
    Teok, Sept 4 (PTI) The Indian Medical Association on
Wednesday threatened to launch a countrywide indefinite cease
work by doctors if the Centre immediately failed to enact a
law to check violence against health professionals, IMA
president Dr Santanu Sen said.
    The IMA also demanded Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda
Sonowal to come out with a statement within 24 hours on the
deadly assault of a doctor at a tea garden, who had succumbed
to his injuries at a hospital, after being assaulted by
relatives of a tea garden worker.
    The IMA president was speaking to reporters here after
visiting the family of the doctor, Dr Deben Dutta, here
on Wednesday. He was also accompanied by some IMA members.
    "Doctors continue to be attacked...enough is enough.
We have reached the end point, we are not going to let this
go. If a Central act is not enacted and the chief minister's
statement does not come within 24 hours, then the government
and the entire country have to remain prepared for the
consequences", he said.
The IMA chief said that the association has written
to the prime minister, the home minister, the health minister
and the chief minister underlining the urgent need to enact a
Central law to check violence against health professionals.
     "In Parliament, I had raised the demand for a Central
act. If the government does not take any positive step, then
doctors of the entire country will go for an indefinite cease
work and the Central government will have to remain prepared
for the consequences", the IMA chief said.
Mentioning that the state government, the chief
minister or the health minister had not issued any statement
after the incident, Sen said, "If the chief minister does not
come out with a statement, all the doctors in Assam will go
for cease work indefinitely, including emergency service."
    The 24-hour strike by the medical fraternity in Assam
on Tuesday was "very successful", he said.
    Emergency services, however, were kept out of the
purview of Tuesday's stir.
    The IMA chief said, another demand of the IMA was that
the culprits must not be released on bail.
"As seen on many occasions, such people are released
on bail after the situation calms down. None can be released
and they be given the severest punishmen," he said.
    Jorhat Deputy Commissioner Roshni Aparanji Korati had
ordered a magisterial inquiry by Additional Deputy
Commissioner Subhan Gowala into the incident and had asked the
ADC to submit his report within seven days.
Pointing out that doctors would not be willing to work
in tea estates if they were not given adequate protection, he
said, "If no doctor serves in tea garden areas, then the
government has to think what has to be done for the tea garden
labourers."
Doctors in Assam have been demanding safety of health
professionals and proper implementation of the Assam Medicare
Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Protection
of Violence and Damage to Property) Act in the state. PTI ESB
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(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from a PTI feed.)