Private health institutions to remain shut on Tuesday

Hyderabad: Clinics, nursing homes, small and medium sized hospitals, charitable medical institutions in Hyderabad and elsewhere in the State will remain closed between 8 am and 2 pm on Tuesday as part of one-day protest call given by Indian Medical Association (IMA).

As part of a ‘Dilli Chalo’ protest call given by IMA, New Delhi, close to 100 doctors from the State are participating in a rally from Rajghat to Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi. The IMA, Telangana chapter said that barring emergency services, all the outpatient services in various hospitals will be closed on Tuesday.

“The major issue for holding such a rally in New Delhi and shutting down health institutions in Telangana is to protest the increasing cases of professional negligence being filed on doctors by the police. We are not against accountability but we can’t accept patients taking law in their hands,” said



president, IMA, Telangana, Dr T Narasinga Reddy.

IMA officials said that for the past two years they have been highlighting the issue of rise in instances of patients attempting to criminally prosecute doctors for no good solid reason and evidence. The senior doctors pointed out that on several occasions the issue of frequent attacks on medical professionals was taken up at State level and with the Centre.

The IMA officials said that following complaints from the medical fraternity, the Centre had formed an Inter-Ministerial Committee consisting of Health and Family Welfare, Law and Justice, Consumer Affairs and Home Affairs.

“The committee is yet to arrive at a conclusion in the issues that have been raised by IMA. We are against criminal prosecution on the grounds of medical negligence and the Centre has to accept our demands,” the IMA state president said.