Nagpur: The act of Shiv Sena MP Hemant Patil asking the Dean of Nanded Hospital to clean the toilet with a broom has evoked sharp reactions from the medicos. Resident doctors at the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) Nagpur wore black ribbons at work on Wednesday to protest the humiliation of Nanded Dean Dr S R Wakode, and later announced a half-day protest on Thursday afternoon along with teachers, interns and MBBS students.
Emergency, ICU, NICU and MICU services won’t be affected, they said. The protest will see rallies on both campuses, sloganeering and demand for public apology from Shiv Sena MP Hemant Patil.
A wave of anger in the medical fraternity swept through the GMCH and Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Hospital (IGGMCH), Nagpur as senior doctors showed reluctance to take the charge as Dean. Finally, Dr Makrand Vyawahare, fourth in the list of seniority, was made Dean of IGGMCH. Maharashtra State Medical Teachers’ Association (MSMTA) has condemned the Sena MP’s interference, although it did not issue any official statement.
On the issue of political vandalism, the association is likely to meet either Medical Education Minister Hasan Mushrif or Principal Secretary Dinesh Waghmare soon. The Government has registered a First Information Report against Patil, but it is not enough, say doctors.
Expressing their ire, the doctors said, “We served the masses during the coronavirus pandemic, still doctors and Deans were blamed by politicians and administration. Then, doctors were at the receiving end daily from the politicians, administration whose role in the health care was meagre. The act of Sena MP is intolerable as a Dean cannot be held responsible for deaths at a hospital. ”
The Indian Medical Association, medical students, and other doctors have strongly condemned the MP’s actions and highlighted the systemic deficiencies in government hospitals across the state. The doctors also emphasized that the recent deaths in Nanded were due to a combination of reasons, including staff shortages and lack of resources.
