SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, September 23: The medical officers (government doctors) of Jamtara have set 48 hours deadline till Saturday to the district administration asking to either arrest the culprits who assaulted Narayanpur community health centre (CHC) medical officer-in-charge Dr Krishna Kumar Gupta or face the music.
In wake of the Narayanpur CHC incident, medical officers of Jamtara district held an emergent meeting under the chairmanship of civil surgeon Dr SK Mishra on Thursday evening and decided to hand over a memorandum to the deputy commissioner (DC) and superintendent of police (SP) for safety at hospitals of the district and immediately arresting of culprits involved in it.
Jharkhand Health Service Association (JHSA) secretary Dr Thakur Mritunjay Kumar Singh has supported the demand of Jamtara doctors and said that the state body would not remain a mute spectator for long. If the district administration fails to arrest the culprits by the deadline, JHSA would shift agitation at state headquarters Ranchi from Jamtara.
Moreover, villagers badly beat up Narayanpur CHC in-charge Dr Krishna Kumar Gupta and ransacked his chamber on Wednesday evening following the death of two students from lightning.
“After the incident, medical officers in the district feel unsafe and find themselves unable to do health service to patients at the hospital without proper security arrangements. Even after 24 hours of the incident, not a single culprit has been arrested while senior administrative and police officers saw all. So it was unanimously decided to give 48 hours to administration before taking a drastic step”, said a medical officer after the meeting.
The medical officers said it looks strange that two weeks ago ( September 17) health minister assured full protection to doctors at JHSA ‘Installation Ceremony’ at Ranchi but a senior doctor of government has been beaten at the remote hospital but the health department has not initiated any step.
Meanwhile, the health staff of Narayanpur CHC held a day-long dharna in protest against the assault on DR Gupta and threatened to boycott work at the hospital if a security arrangement is not made at CHC.
Akhilesh Kumar Singh, Narayanpur CHC health staff association secretary, on the occasion said that the doctor had no fault in the lightning death of students but villagers made the doctor, and staff target. Incident has created a sense of insecurity among health staff too.
