Goa GMCH incident: Maharashtra senior doctors write to PM Modi to end harassment against doctors

Indian Express

2 days ago

The Maharashtra Senior Resident Doctors' Association (MSRDA) on Tuesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, citing the recent episode where the chief medical officer (CMO) of the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) was summarily 'suspended' publicly by the state Health Minister Vishwajit Rane.
Rane on June 7 reprimanded Dr Rudresh Kurtikar, CMO, Goa Medical College and Hospital, and ordered his immediate suspension for alleged 'misbehaviour' with a patient.
The Association has appealed to PM Modi for urgent redressal and safeguards for government doctors in the wake of the recent Goa GMCH incident. 'The reasons allegedly remain unclear and unverified. While Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant later overturned this suspension, the damage to the dignity of the medical officer, and by extension, to the institution and the profession, was already done,' MSRDA said in the statement.
Dr Abhijit Helge, President, MSRDA, told The Indian Express that this episode is not merely a bureaucratic misstep. 'It is emblematic of a disturbing trend where doctors are made scapegoats for administrative or political gain,' Dr Helge said.
'The very public nature of this humiliation, without due inquiry or protocol, sets a dangerous precedent. It sends a chilling message that the immense dedication and integrity with which doctors serve society can be disregarded in an instant,' Dr Sarbik De, MSRDA general secretary, said.
In their letter to PM Modi, the association members have said that government doctors are the backbone of India's healthcare system. 'From remote rural Primary Health Centres (PHCs) to the emergency rooms of overcrowded urban hospitals, they serve selflessly—often working 48-hour shifts, making life-and-death decisions, managing epidemics, and sacrificing personal comfort and family time, all for the greater good. They are trained for over a decade before they can stand independently as specialists. Yet, despite their noble service, they are increasingly being subjected to verbal abuse, physical assaults, threats, and now, public humiliation by individuals in power,' the letter read.
The GMCH incident is reminiscent of earlier instances — the assault on junior doctors in Kolkata in 2019 that led to nationwide protests; the manhandling of doctors in Telangana; and the public blaming of frontline healthcare workers during Covid-19. In all such instances, it was only after substantial outrage that steps were taken, the association doctors have said, while extending support to the doctors of GMCH Goa.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has also written to PM Modi expressing deep concern and disappointment over the recent incidents in Goa and Jharkhand, where medical professionals were subjected to harassment by political leaders at Goa Medical College and Hazaribagh Government Medical College, respectively.
'These distressing actions demonstrate blatant disrespect towards the medical community and contribute to an atmosphere of fear, mistrust, and demoralisation within our already strained healthcare system,' Dr Dilip Bhanushali, National President, IMA, said in the statement on Monday.
In its letter dated June 9, IMA has urged PM Modi to amend the Medicare Service Personnel and Medicare Service Institutions Acts across all states to make any form of violence or harassment against healthcare professionals a non-bailable offence, with a minimum punishment of seven years' imprisonment.
It has also called for rigorous implementation of the recommendations issued by the National Task Force appointed by the Supreme Court regarding the protection and welfare of resident doctors and healthcare workers. 'We need a public reassurance that will send a clear message that acts of intimidation or violence against doctors will not be tolerated, irrespective of the status or position of the culprits,' IMA has said.
Anuradha Mascarenhas is a journalist with The Indian Express and is based in Pune. A senior editor, Anuradha writes on health, research developments in the field of science and environment and takes keen interest in covering women's issues. With a career spanning over 25 years, Anuradha has also led teams and often coordinated the edition.
... Read More