SKIMS-Bemina – KO Pic: Abid Bhat
Srinagar: A day after a junior resident doctor claimed that he was terminated from services for asking standard personal protection equipment (PPE), Principal SKIMS Medical College Bemina Dr Riyaz Ahmad Untoo Tuesday said his “tenure engagement was relieved for indulging in indiscipline and abusing a senior doctor”. He also claimed that junior doctor was causing “hindrance” in the delivery of healthcare to patients.
On April 20, Principal SKIMS Medical College Hospital Bemina issued an order which reads, “A doctor (Code No JR-1166) Junior Resident Department of Accident and Emergency is hereby relieved from this institution.”
He has written a letter to President Doctors Association Kashmir Dr Suhail Naik that despite the non-availability of standard PPE, he continued to discharge his duty in the COVID ward without taking into consideration the risk of acquiring this fatal infection.
“Despite repeated verbal and documented requests to administration, the doctors were not provided with standard PPEs. That on 17-04-20 after finishing my uninterrupted duty in COVID ward with substandard PPE, I asked the in-charge stores Dr. Imtiyaz Ahmad, Consultant Ophthalmology, to issue standard PPE. The said doctor responded in a harsh way which resulted in an argument,” he said in the letter.
He claimed he was repeatedly “harassed and threatened”.
“That I will be terminated and sent behind the bars along with my family and subsequently relieving order was issued against me on 20-04-20,” he said.
Principal SKIMS Medical College Bemina Dr Riyaz Ahmad Untoo however rubbished the reports that doctor was “terminated from his services”. “Permanent employees or those on contract are being terminated. Junior resident is a house job of three to six-month tenure engagement.” he said.
He claimed that if junior resident does not comply with the norms and guidelines, the administration can relieve his tenure engagement which is three to six months or one year. He said the said doctor’s tenure engagement started at SKIMS Bemina in October 2019.
“He was relieved. Any one causing hindrance in the delivery of health care to patients, action will be taken as indiscipline can be disastrous particularly in prevailing situation due to coronavirus pandemic as SKIMS Medical College Bemina is the largest COVID designated hospital in the UT. He (junior doctor) was even asking some doctors not to enter wards to treat patients,” he said. (KINS)
DAK demands reinstatement of doctor
Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) Wednesday strongly condemned the “unprecedented termination” of a doctor of SKIMS Bemina who it said was has been sacked for demanding standard accredited protective gear.
President DAK Dr Suhail Naik in a statement said that it is unfortunate that Dr Asif Ali Bhat, a junior resident at SKIMS Bemina terminated without holding a proper inquiry or without any prior warning.
“This is sheer power arrogance and it seems our health institutions stand hijacked by some white collar officials,” he said.
Dr Naik said it is very “unfortunate and unethical to terminate a young front-line doctor who just demanded a standard PPE”.
“On one hand government is recruiting retired doctors to add to deficient human resources and on the other hand young doctor is terminated without asking for any inquiry,” he said.
General Secretary DAK, Dr Owais H Dar said that demanding accredited PPE is their fundamental right and it is responsibility of administration to arrange and sustain their supply.
“The arrogance of some administrators is pushing resident doctors to the wall and forcing them to go for strike and shutdown of essential services,” he said.
Dar said “such officials remain stationed in administrative blocks which are usually 110 meters away from Covid-19 wards and to cover up their administrative failures they are trying hard to muzzle the voice of frontline resident doctors”.
“DAK has appealed Financial Commissioner Health and Medical Education Department to reinstate the doctor at earliest as the derogatory has shaken the confidence of whole doctor fraternity that too at the critical juncture of pandemic,” the statement reads.
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