Doctors at Perumbavoor taluk hospital strike following alleged harassment

Kochi: Doctors staged a 10-minute OP boycott in protest alleging that a junior doctor on duty at the casualty department of Perumbavoor taluk hospital was insulted and mentally harassed by a group of people including MLA Manoj Moothedan.

Duty doctor Sajna Salam filed a complaint with police demanding a probe into the incident.The protest was led by KGMOA alleging that the duty doctor, who had instructed that procedures must be followed for keeping a body in the freezer, was insulted and mentally harassed by relatives and locals, including the MLA.The incident occurred at 3.30pm on June 5. Relatives of KM Jacob from Koovappady came to keep his body in the freezer and stopped the ambulance in front of the mortuary instead of coming to the casualty department and informed the duty doctor.They only had a letter written by a ward member stating that Jacob had died and that there was no legal obstacle to keeping it in the freezer.To keep bodies in the freezer at taluk hospital, a letter from the doctor who confirmed the death is required. If it is a police case, a letter from police is also required. The complaint is that when this was explained, public representatives and relatives insulted and mentally harassed Dr Salam.

Following the request of the relatives, the MLA came to the spot and spoke to the doctor. Following this, the doctor went to the mortuary and examined the body in the ambulance. It is alleged that when the doctor said an ECG was needed to confirm death, she was insulted.Later, after death was confirmed, permission for the freezer was given.Moothedan said the doctor was neither insulted nor mentally harassed. The dispute arose due to the duty doctor’s stance that the local body member’s letter was not enough. Along with the letter, treatment records from Samaritan Hospital, Pazhanganad, were also produced. But the doctor said a police report or a letter from the doctor who certified the death was required.He also demanded that if doctors and staff do not treat people coming to the hospital with courtesy, a public agitation will be launched, and that the procedures related to confirming death should be simplified.