Doctors protest attacks on medical staff

Doctors who are loyal to the Indian Medical Association (IMA) staged a protest with masks and banners with the messages “Save the Saviors” and “Save the Doctors” here at the Gandhi statue near the GVMC.

The call for the nationwide protests was launched by the IMA to condemn the increasing attacks on doctors and health workers across the country. The doctors shouted slogans and appealed to people to support their cause.

The CPI (M), Praja Arogya Vedika (PAV) and the AP Medical and Sales Representatives Union (APMSRU) have expanded their solidarity with the protest.

CPI (M) State Secretariat member chap. Narasinga Rao, CPI (M) District and City Committee Secretaries K. Lokanadham and B. Ganga Rao condemned the increasing attacks on doctors in Assam, Bihar, West Bengal, UP, Delhi and Karnataka. They found that doctors and healthcare workers have been performing their duties under severe stress since the COVID-19 outbreak. The pressure on them peaked during the second wave, the CPI (M) leaders said.

Citing IMA statistics, the CPI (M) leaders said that 700 doctors died performing their duties during the second wave. They claimed that the central and state governments failed to address the problem of medical shortages.

The CPI (M) leaders said the attacks on doctors would ultimately harm society at large. They also appealed to doctors to view health care as a “service”. There should be adequate oversight of corporate hospitals, which are exorbitantly charging patients and increasing the budget for drugs, they said.

Praja Arogya Vedika General Secretary T. Kameswara Rao and President MV Ramanayya noted that it was regrettable that doctors trying to save the lives of COVID-19 patients who were risking their own lives were being attacked. They called for an increase in the health budget and the recruitment of doctors as needed.

Andhra Pradesh Medical and Sales Representatives Union Visakhapatnam Branch Secretary M. Satish Kumar and President Shekar also expressed solidarity with the doctors and condemned the attacks on them.

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