Jhansi: Doctors Detained For Voicing ‘Concerns’ to UP CM, Released

Doctors were detained at Jhansi’s Maharani Laxmibai Medical College when they tried to approach CM Adityanath.

In photo, doctors being taken into custody by Jhansi police at Maharani Laxmibai Medical College.

(Photo: The Quint)

Junior doctors at Jhansi’s Maharani Laxmibai Medical College were taken into custody by local police after they tried to present a memorandum, which listed demands and flaws of the college, to Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, who was visiting the college to take stock of the COVID facilities.

Talking to The Quint, President of Resident Doctors’ Association Dr Hardeep Jogi said, “Everyone should see why this was done to us. We just wanted to tell about the flaws here. We were not allowed to meet and were also misbehaved with.”

“Every time ministers come and go, our basic problems are not given any attention. So, this time we thought that we should go and inform ourselves about this. But we were not allowed to meet CM and we were pushed and brought to the police station.”

Dr Hardeep Jogi, President of Resident Doctors’ Association, Maharani Laxmibai Medical College.

According to Dr Jogi, whenever there is a ministerial visit to the campus, all the arrangements at the campus start recovering and the medicines are restocked. On any other day, medicines are not available. He said that the problem had been there even before the pandemic hit.

“The doctor was stopped for security reasons, so that the programme is not interrupted. After the programme, he was asked to sit in a separate room, and the points made by him were understood, so we can take steps to help him. In connection to the memorandum given to the Chief Minister, the district administration, the Jhansi - Lalitpur member of parliament, and the Principal of the Medical College collectively decided that the facilities will be improved and other arrangements will be provided.”

Andra Vamsi, Jhansi DM

‘Medical Staff Reprimanded in Public’

According to Dr Jogi, one of the main demands of junior doctors is the improvement of the workplace environment since doctors, nurses and other medical staffers are reprimanded in public by administrative officials.

“What is this behaviour? Does any doctor working in the COVID era, or any of the staff members deserve to get scolded in public?” he asked.
Here are the other demands by the doctors-

• A central medical library as the medical college library has been closed for the past 18 months.
• Increase in capacity of hostels given the increase in medical seats.
• A new sports ground on the college campus.
• Adequate stocks of necessary medicines at the college. The doctors have alleged that a stock is only replenished when there is an administrative visit.

This story was first filed on Quint Hindi.