Private hospitals threaten to close down

Madurai:The health machinery in Madurai district might come to a standstill on Tuesday with private hospitals and nursing homes threatening to close down protesting the recent arrest of two city-based doctors for alleged medical negligence that led to the death of a seven-year-old boy on Wednesday.Even as members of Tamil Nadu Government Doctors' Association (TNGDA) were already on a strike since Thursday, Indian Medical Association on Sunday decided to lend its support by involving leading corporate hospitals, private medical practitioners, laboratory technicians and scan centres among others.

Announcing this at a press conference here on Sunday, R. Ravindran, secretary, IMA Madurai Branch, said that the struggle would continue till the Government considers their primary demand of issuing an order preventing police from filing criminal cases against doctors.
"On Tuesday, both Government and private hospitals in Madurai would stop admitting inpatients or performing any surgery other than emergency cases. We will not attend to outpatients too," Dr. Ravindran said.A resolution to this effect was adopted at a general body meeting, which was attended by members of IMA branches in the district and representatives from the corporate hospitals, TNGDA and others.

They also resolved to press the Government to declare hospitals "protected zones," as had already been done in Kerala. The association's demands included withdrawal of all criminal cases against the arrested doctors and suspension of the police inspector who arrested the doctors.
Office-bearers of the association said that if their efforts went in vain, they might have no option but to go on an indefinite strike.Dr. Ravindran said that the Government should make binding the guidelines stipulated by the Supreme Court and a recent circular of the Director-General of Police, Tamil Nadu, that no doctor should be arrested, in cases of death where medical negligence is alleged, till a prima facie was made out.