Amitesh Kumar, Commissioner of Police in a meeting with Vidarbha Hospitals Association (VHA) has assured medical fraternity to take stern action against those creating ruckus at hospitals. Amitesh Kumar had called a meeting to allay the growing apprehensions and growing dread being felt by medical fraternity in view of the unconstitutional enforcement being done by so called vigilante groups who are creating terror in minds of doctors and hospitals. VHA office-bearers highlighted that mischief mongers to gain political brownie points take law in their hands and conduct media trials in blatant manner threatening the fraternity at large and creating unwanted animosity in minds of public. Moreover, they are now blatantly taking law in their hands by burning down hospital properties as seen in Hope Hospital. Examples of other such incidents in other hospitals was also showcased by them.

 

The health care service providers are living in state of terror and are unable to practice their profession with peace of mind, they added. Amitesh Kumar assured all private Covid hospitals that strict law provisions including Maharashtra Medicare service, persons and Medicare Institutions (Prevention of Violence and damage or loss of property) Act 2010 and Epidemic Act would be applied against all such trouble makers and deterrent action and convictions will be positively ensured to prove that no one can take law in their hands. Assuring COVID hospitals of police assistance, Commissioner of Police said security audit will be done by local police stations, regular patrolling by police personnel, display of police notice boards, police stations will immediately respond in case of death or monetary dispute, if the hospitals had empathetically provided credit facility, all are bound to pay the audited bills as per capped charges at time of death and discharge, sensitise all local police stations to immediately rush to assist affected hospitals.

 

Amitesh Kumar circulated numbers of all DCPs and his own number to all Covid hospitals and stated, all can even call them if local police stations do not respond. A dedicated call centre in police control room will now function under leadership of Basavraj Teli - DCP to aid Covid hospitals over security issues, he added. Jalaj Sharma, Additional Municipal Commissioner assured that the stationed auditors will also represent administration and play a proactive role in such cases as the trouble makers will not dare to act against Government officials. Moreover, he assured timely pickup of bodies of those died due to COVID-19 by NMC authorities since the relatives’ blame hospital for delay whereas it is because of the delay in pickup of the body by NMC since as per protocol, the body cannot be handed over to relatives.

 

VHA office-bearers thanked Amitesh Kumar for organising this confidence building meet in presence of all Police Commissionerate officials including Jalaj Sharma, Additional Municipal Commissioner. Those present in the meeting were Additional Commissioners of Police Dilip Zalke, Navinchandra Reddy apart from Deputy Police Commissioners Gajanan Rajmane, Basavraj Teli, Noorul Hasan, Vinita Sahu and Lohit Matani along with other senior officials. VHA was represented by Dr Ashok Arbat- President; Dr Alok Umre- Secretary; Dr Anup Marar- Convener; Dr Uday Mahorkar- Ex-President; Dr Shantanu Sengupta, Dr Prakash Khetan, Dr Pramod Gandhi, Dr Murli, Dr Deepak Deshmukh, Dr Rajan Barokar, Dr Deepak Jeswani, Dr Sanjay Chandankhede, Dr Tushar Gawande, Dr Santosh, Dr Barde, Dr Ninad Godghate and many others.