Indian-origin doctors from US, Canada write to President, PM on safety of medical professionals
Chandigarh, August 23
Expressing solidarity with the protesting doctors over the Kolkata rape and murder case, prominent medical alumni associations in the US and Canada have sought setting up of a commission for review of existing safety protocols in health care system in India.
Urging expeditious measures for safety of health care workers, heads of various alumni associations have demanded that the safety review commission should have representation from the public and health care professionals.
A letter in this regard has been signed by various associations and sent to President Droupadi Murmu. Also, they have appealed for strong and timely measures to check violence against health care professionals.
"We are deeply concerned by the recent surge in violence and harassment against doctors in India, especially against our female colleagues. We, representing various medical and alumni associations across the US and Canada, write to you with deep concern and anguish regarding the recent deplorable crime in Kolkata where a doctor was brutally raped and murdered. This tragic incident has not only shaken the medical community, but also highlighted the urgent need for comprehensive reforms to ensure the safety and security of doctors, particularly women doctors, who are dedicated to serving the nation," the letter said.
The doctors lamented that the increasing incidents of violence against medical professionals, including sexual violence, had created an environment of fear and insecurity among medical professionals. "This is not just an issue of personal safety but a significant impediment to the effective functioning of the health care system," they said.
Apart from suggesting setting up of a commission to inspect the existing safety protocols in health care systems and medical colleges, the doctors demanded expeditious measures to ensure safety of health care workers such that severe penalties be levied against those who commit crimes against them.
"The rights of health care workers to practise without fear in a secure environment must be protected with appropriate legislation at the earliest,'' the letter stated.
Apart from the President, the letter has also been addressed to the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, the Chief Justice of India, the Director General of Health Services (DGHS), the Health Minister, the National Medical Commission and the Indian Medical Association.
The signatories include Dr Satheesh Kathula, president, American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI); Dr Hema Kapoor, president, Lady Hardinge Medical College Alumni Association of North America (LHMC); Dr Tarun Ohri, president, AIIMSONIANS of America (All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi); Dr Vittal Setru, president, Connecticut Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (CAPI); Dr Ravish Kothari, president, South Carolina Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (SCAPI); Dr Sangita Kapur, president, Association of Indian Physicians, Cincinnati Chapter; Dr Manoj Shah, president, Inland Southern California Organisation of Physicians of Indian Origin (ISCOPI); Dr Anand Kanjolia, president, Rajasthan Medical Alumni Association (RAJMAAI);
Dr Mythili Bharadwaj
President, Kilpauk Medical College Alumni Association of North America (KANA)
Dr Jaya Daptardar President, Global Organization for People of Indian Origin (GOPIO)
Dr Tarak Vasavada President, IndoAmerican Psychiatric Association (IAPA)
Dr Bhuvana Ramkumar (Board of Director and Past President), Dr Ravi Yellam Raju (Treasurer), Asian American Physician Association, Buffalo, New York
Dr Sanjay Bindra President, GOSUMEC Foundation USA
Dr Shekhar Annabhotla President and Founder, Ayurvedic Association of Practitioners of North America (AAPNA USA) Dr Umesh Choudhary
President, University College of Medical Sciences Alumni in North America
Dr Shashwathi Kale President, American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, Bay Area, California Dr Sujeeth R Punnam President, Kakatiya Medical Alumni of the US
Dr Nandita Gupta President, Maulana Azad Medical College Alumni Association of North America (MAMCOAANA) Dr Aruna Dasgupta
Representative of Nil Ratan Sirkar Medical College and Hospital in the US
Dr Dhrubajyoti Bandyopadhyay
Representative of Burdwan Medical College in the US
Dr Adrija Hajra and Dr Dhrubajyoti Bandyopadhyay
Representative of RG Kar Medical College in the US
Dr Adrija Hajra
Representative of Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research (IPGMER)- SSKM Hospital, Kolkata
Dr Samhati Mondal and Dr Akanksha Srivastava
Representatives of Medical College, Kolkata in the US
Dr Tushar Mishra
Representative of Sardar Patel Medical College, Bikaner in the US
Dr Aditya Sharma
Representative of Government Medical College, Kota in the US
Dr Vijendra Singh
Representative of Sampurnanand Medical College, Jodhpur in the US
Dr Gangajal Kasaniya
Representative of Sawai Man Singh Medical College, Jaipur in the US
Dr Gaurav Mudgal
Representative of Maharani Lakshmi Bai Medical College, Jhansi in the US
Dr Nikhil Vojjala
Representative of Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh in the US