Thiruvananthapuram, February 18 The KGMOA on Wednesday demanded strict legal action against those who allegedly attacked doctors and created unrest at the Nedumangad district hospital following the death of a newborn during childbirth.
In a statement, the district unit of the Kerala Government Medical Officers' Association (KGMOA) said the death of the newborn was "deeply painful and unfortunate", but condemned what it termed as violence and "mob trial" targeting the hospital superintendent and the District Medical Officer.
Describing the incident as "unacceptable in a democratic society", the association announced that February 18 would be observed as a protest day in the capital district.
The KGMOA said that healthcare workers were striving round the clock to provide quality treatment despite severe manpower shortages and limited infrastructure.
Therefore, portraying doctors as criminals over medical complications that may arise during treatment and publicly humiliating them was condemnable, it said.
It demanded that stringent legal action be taken under the Kerala Healthcare Service Persons and Healthcare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage to Property) Act against those who allegedly created a tense atmosphere in the hospital and attacked doctors.
The association also sought the constitution of an expert committee to conduct an immediate, transparent and impartial inquiry into the incident, asserting that any action against doctors based merely on allegations, without the committee's report, would be unjustified.
It warned that if hasty decisions were taken under external pressure, the organisation would be compelled to launch strong protest programmes.
Police on Tuesday registered a case of unnatural death under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) into the newborn's death at the state-run hospital.
State Health Minister Veena George said the Director of the Health Department has been directed to immediately conduct an inquiry and take strong action on the complaint that the baby died during childbirth at the hospital.
Family members of the woman alleged that they were informed a caesarean section would be performed if the baby was not delivered by noon, but claimed that the procedure was delayed.
"Had they performed the caesarean earlier, the baby would have survived," relatives told reporters.
Activists of the Congress, BJP and the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) staged protests outside the hospital on Tuesday demanding action against the concerned doctor, police had said.