JOIN USCovid-19: Maharashtra doctors threaten to go into self-quarantine mode
As private doctors and the Maharashtra government continue to be at loggerheads on multiple issues, the private doctors’ apex body has threatened that doctors may be forced to go into ‘self-quarantine’ mode.
The Indian Medical Association-Maharashtra State, that commands a membership of 45,000 doctors, has once again appealed to look into their issues even as the state battles the deadly outbreak of Covid-19.
IMA-Maharashtra president Dr Avinash Bhondwe and honorary state secretary Dr Pankaj Bandarkar said that for the last six months, all the doctors in Maharashtra have been serving Covid-19 patients without taking any leave, without caring for their own lives.
More than 150 doctors doing their private practice have died in this pandemic.
“Numerous doctors have been infected with Covid-19. All the doctors who have worked tirelessly have been providing services to the patients and have been putting their own life at risk. Just as many leaders and government officials in Maharashtra have 'self-quarantined' themselves, it is time for us doctors to be 'self-quarantined', as a mass movement. The separation period may range from one day to 14 days,” Dr Bhondwe said.
From 10 September, doctors across the state would be protesting – during which they would also burn replicas of medical registration certificates.
According to them, since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Maharashtra government, the health secretaries and all district administrative officials, have been treating the IMA and all other private doctors unfairly.
“All the doctors are being treated like criminals. The treatment rates at Covid hospitals were fixed up unilaterally without discussing it with the doctors or the hospital bodies, whether they are affordable or not. Because of these unaffordable rates the time has come that many private hospitals in the state are on the verge of closure on economic grounds,” according to Dr Bhonwde.
“On one side the unaffordable rates have been forced on the doctors and on the other side doctors are being prosecuted by the sending auditors if there is any minor mistake in the bills prepared with the unaffordable rates. At the same time, ministers and leaders have continuously been proclaiming that the Doctors are robbing patients. Because of this unjust criticism the doctors in the state of Maharashtra are losing their self confidence,” the association noted.
“The reason for the failure of the Covid-19 pandemic in Maharashtra state lies in the short-sighted, unscientific, inhumane and repressive practices of the administrators, who are fully responsible for controlling the epidemic in this fashion, by tyrannizing the doctors instead of consulting a them. All the citizens know that the contribution of all the private hospitals in controlling the corona outbreak in Maharashtra is invaluable,” he added.
The doctors’ body said that hospitals are finding it difficult to meet the cost of oxygen, PPE kits, biomedical waste charges, staff salaries, disinfection at the current rates set for hospital ICUs.
“Therefore, out of 25000 hospitals in Maharashtra, it is time to close most of the hospitals. For this, the Health Minister had convened a meeting to increase the rates, and it was decided to hold a meeting with IMA representatives, before August 31, to discuss the hike. However, without holding such a meeting, the state health secretary issued a circular on August 31 to maintain the rates and add more items in it to make it more unaffordable.
IMA Maharashtra State informed about this to the health ministers office on September 1. The minister of Health was requested by IMA to hold a meeting in the next three days to discuss the rates, but to date the state government has not responded,” he added.