The Indian Medical Association (IMA) of Maharashtra has written a letter to the Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray accusing Shiv Sena leader and Water and Sanitation Minister Gulabrao Patil of threatening and intimidating private doctors in Jalgaon.
In the letter to the Maharashtra Chief Minister, the IMA doctors said that a meeting was called by Health Minister Rajesh Tope to discuss the rising coronavirus positive cases in Jalgaon and the local MLA from Jalgaon Gulabrao Patil was also present at the meeting along with various other authorities.
During the meeting, the doctors alleged that Patil put the blame on private doctors for the increase in the cases in the district and also intimidated and threatened the doctors. The doctors further alleged that the authorities warned them of imposing the Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act against them.
Shiv Sena leader and Water and Sanitation Minister Gulabrao Patil openly threatens private doctors in Jalgaon, in the presence of Health Minister Tope and IAS officials. IMA Maharashtra State lodges strong protest against Patil’s behaviour. pic.twitter.com/OLFgVCGF6R
— Amit Thadhani (@amitsurg) June 5, 2020
Narrating their ordeal, the IMA – Maharashtra has written a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray asking why are the local politicians are giving illogical threats to them.
In the letter, the doctors alleged there was gross chaos in administrative system in Jalgaon and said that the health minister had carried out a proper probe to find loopholes within the government system, which according to the doctors, could be the reason for the rise in the number of cases.
“We are definitely aware of the dynamics of ever-changing epidemic scenarios. But the overburdened system cannot use our doctors and medical fraternity as scapegoats,” said the IMA in its scathing letter to CM Thackeray.
The doctors’ body also said that they disapproved such statements, which is very insulting to all the doctors of the IMA, who are delivering so much work consistently during the COVID pandemic.
