Palakkad: A day after two doctors of the Palakkad district government hospital were suspended for alleged lapse in treatment of a 9-year-old girl, the Kerala Government Medical Officers’ Association (KGMOA) has come up with strong objections calling the move “unjust” and accusing the government of using health workers as scapegoats to deflect public anger.
The Health Department suspended Junior Resident Dr Mustafa and Junior Consultant Dr Sarfaraz following preliminary findings of lapses in the treatment of a nine-year-old girl, which allegedly led to the amputation of her hand. The suspension was issued pending further inquiry and possible disciplinary action.
“Action against doctors arbitrary”: KGMOA
In a press statement issued on Monday, the KGMOA termed the action “arbitrary” and demanded that the government immediately revoke the suspensions. The association argued that the incident involved a rare medical complication and that there was no evidence of negligence or protocol violation on the part of the doctors.“The attempt to interpret a rare complication as treatment failure and scapegoat doctors is completely unacceptable,” the statement read.
KGMOA also criticized the broader state of the public healthcare system, pointing to inadequate staffing, infrastructure, and a lack of clear guidelines as persistent issues. It cited the 2024 CAG report, which flagged deficiencies in Kerala’s public health facilities, including non-compliance with Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS) norms.
“Government doctors are doing their best under extremely challenging conditions. Instead of addressing systemic failures, the government is targeting individuals to contain public backlash,” said Dr Jobin G. Joseph, General Secretary of KGMOA.