Docs upset by MLA Ganesh Kumar's ‘Some doctors can be beaten up' remark

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Government Medical Officers' Association (KGMOA) has denounced Pathanapuram MLA KB Ganesh Kumar for saying that some physicians deserved to be beaten in the Assembly. Speaking before the Assembly on March 14, Ganesh Kumar stated instances of alleged medical malpractice and claimed that there is a growing trend among patients to physically abuse medical professionals. "However, some doctors need to be beaten up, in my opinion," he added. Ganesh Kumar is a member of the Kerala Congress (B), which is an ally of the current LDF.

Ganesh Kumar's statement, according to KGMOA, was an insult to society and a challenge to the legal system for doctors who labour nonstop to preserve their patients' lives. The MLA's comments, according to KGMOA, amount to encouraging antisocial people to take matters into their own hands. KGMOA emphasized that patients can take organized legal action against suspected medical misconduct, The News Minute reported.

A statewide protest against the assault on doctors was previously called for by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on March 17. According to KGMOA, the MLA's remark makes the IMA's objection all the more relevant. “A civilized society would judge this as a reflection of the insecurity faced by healthcare workers in the workplace,” it stated.

KGMOA continued by stating that Ganesh Kumar's duty as an MLA is to draft strict legislation to guarantee that medical professionals can work without fear of assault. The KGMOA demanded that he apologize to the medical community and retract his comments.

Ganesh Kumar brought up the problem in the Assembly after learning that a lady in his constituency needed seven surgeries in a year because doctors botched the removal of her uterine tumour. Keralan doctors are upset because there have been more assaults on them lately. A senior doctor was recently attacked in Kozhikode by six individuals.

Dr PK Asokan, a cardiologist at Kozhikode's Fathima Hospital, was assaulted by the family members of a female patient who claimed that her care had been delayed. Dr Asokan required hospitalization after the assault left him with serious injuries.