Sawant assures agitators their demands will be met
Panaji: Doctors at the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC) on Tuesday decided not to go ahead with their planned strike and withdrew their agitation against Health Minister Vishwajit Rane following intervention by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.
Sawant met the doctors and assured them that incidents of doctor humiliation will not be repeated in the future.
Stating that he has agreed to all the seven demands of Goa Association of Resident Doctors (GARD), Sawant said, “I have passed all the demands, including ban on photography and videography. A new PSI will be appointed at the police outpost at GMC and an additional force of 50 police personnel will be deployed for security. The vigilance committee will also be headed by secretary (health).”
The Chief Minister arrived at the dean’s office at 1.30 pm. He met representatives of GARD, GMC Dean Dr Shivanand Bandekar and other officials at the state-run premier hospital.
Emerging from the meeting, president of GARD Ayush Sharma said, “GARD and Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) are happy to announce that we are calling off any form of strike we did not start in the first place, but to clear the confusion, for the betterment of the people of Goa because they should not suffer at any cost.”
It may be noted that Rane had been facing backlash from the medical fraternity after he lashed out at GMC’s chief medical officer Dr Rudresh Kuttikar for not entertaining a elderly patient for a non-emergency vaccine during his surprise visit to the premier facility and ordered his suspension.
Sawant on Sunday tried to control the damage by overruling the controversial decision.
On Sunday night, Rane tendered an apology to the doctor and the medical fraternity through a local TV channel and did the same on social media Monday morning. The doctors, however, were not happy with the gesture on the grounds that he clubbed it with discipline in the hospital.
They demanded that the Health Minister apologise to Dr Kuttikar in the Casualty within 24 hours.
Rane said while he may have erred in his communication, his intent was always to ensure no patient is denied timely care and the public health system remains responsive and compassionate.
Speaking to media persons on Tuesday, Dr Madhu Ghodkirekar said that the most controversial issue was whether the Health Minister would come to the casualty department and apologise. He said the second argument was whether a government officer could demand an apology from the Health Minister.
“No government officer has the right to ask any minister to come and apologise. There is a need to have correspondence. The way the Health Minister has given an apology in media and social media, we accept the apology, but we are hopeful that we will receive a copy of the same through official channel,” Dr Ghodkirekar said.
Clarifying further, he said that Dr Kuttikar had not asked for a personal apology but an apology to the chair. “People did not understand what Dr Kuttikar had said. He had said that the apology should be made where he was insulted. He had not asked for a personal apology, but to the chair where the minister sat and this entire incident happened. This should not have happened. So the chair which was insulted, we brought it inside,” said Dr Ghodkirekar. He said when the incident occurred, the Health Minister had asked Dr Kuttikar to leave, but the doctor did not leave his duty and the chair. Dr Kuttikar was quoted in the media as saying that he demanded an apology from the Health Minister within 24 hours.
Meanwhile, doctors under the banner ‘United doctors of GMC’, in a statement issued, said that they have unanimously decided to remain committed to their stand against “VIP culture” that affects genuine patient care in GMC.
“However, in deference to the intervention and assurances given by the CM, and in view of patient care, we will ensure that healthcare services at GMC will continue, and we will continue to serve the community as usual. Every patient of GMC will have access to optimum healthcare without VIP interference,” the statement said.
