Withdraw ‘autocratic’ order cancelling Max Hospital licence: Medical association

NEW DELHI:Delhi Medical Association (DMA) today wrote to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal seeking the withdrawal of its "irrational and autocratic" order cancelling the licence of Max Super Specialty Hospital in Shalimar Bagh.

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 9

Delhi Medical Association (DMA) today wrote to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal seeking the withdrawal of its "irrational and autocratic" order cancelling the licence of Max Super Specialty Hospital in Shalimar Bagh.

In its letter, marked also to Health Minister Satyender Jain, the doctors' body said that the government should wait for the report of the Delhi Medical Council (DMC) on the issue which is expected in a few days.

The DMA and the IMA have criticised the AAP government's decision to cancel the license of the private hospital as harsh.

The DMA which opposed the order said it would give a call for strike, if needed.

"If our demands are not met, we will finalise on Wednesday whether to call for a strike," DMA President Vijay Malhotra said.

Meanwhile, some regular patients of the hospital, besides those who were turned away by the health facility since its licence has been cancelled, today demonstrated outside the hospital.

Sweepers and wardboys too raised slogans against the Delhi government for cancelling the hospital's licence, a senior police official said, adding that it was peaceful and no one was detained.

On the other hand, Arvind Kejriwal said today the government was not against the city's private hospitals, but it would not hesitate to act sternly in cases of criminal negligence and "looting of patients".

Kejriwal said it takes courage to cancel the licence of a leading healthcare facility like Max Hospital in Shalimar Bagh.

His comments came a day after the Delhi Government decided to cancel the licence of the hospital for alleged medical negligence on multiple instances, including one in which it wrongly declared an alive baby dead on November 30.

"If we had entered into any setting with the hospital, we would not have been able to face our conscience and would have lost the faith of the people. We will not hesitate to act sternly in cases of criminal negligence and looting of patients," Kejriwal said. (With PTI inputs)