Dr KK Aggarwal &
Advocate Ira Gupta
The Supreme Court has
deferred the hearing in the petition seeking protection for
Doctors in the government hospitals.
The Court was of the view
that while the larger question of protection for Doctors needs consideration,
the matter is not urgent anymore given the fact that the strike by the Doctors
in West Bengal, as well as other States, has now been called off.
The Vacation Bench of
Justices Deepak Gupta and Surya Kant thus directed that the
petition be listed before an appropriate Bench after vacation.
The questions relating to
the kind of protection and who shall be responsible for providing the same will
be considered by the Court.
The PIL seeks a direction
to the Central government to deploy uniformed security personnel at every
government hospital to ensure the safety of doctors. Srivastava has also prayed
for a direction to the government to formulate guidelines for the safety of
doctors and for the same to be implemented in "letter and spirit".
Additionally, the petition
also seeks a direction to the State of West Bengal to take stringent action
against those who assaulted the junior doctor in NRS Medical College and
Hospital, Kolkata.
Doctors in the hospital had
gone on strike after a Junior Doctor Paribaha Mukhopadhyay was severely
injured after being attacked by a mob of people. The assault took place
after the death of a 75- year old patient.
West Bengal Chief Minister
Mamata Banerjee had criticised the agitation and urged the doctors to resume
work. This sparked protests in other Kolkata hospitals and eventually spread to
other parts of the country.
The matter had
even reached the Calcutta High Court, which last week urged the State
government to take measures to resolve the grievances raised by the striking
doctors. The matter in the High Court is scheduled to be heard on June 21.
Dr KK Aggarwal
Padma Shri Awardee
President Elect Confederation of
Medical Associations in Asia and Oceania (CMAAO)
Group Editor-in-Chief IJCP Publications
President Heart Care Foundation of
India
Past National President
IMA
