Jharkhand Health Minister felicitates 45 ophthalmologists for COVID service, confirms proposal of Medical Protection Act

Written by Sanchari Chattopadhyay Published On 2021-08-12T11:00:11+05:30 | Updated On 12 Aug 2021 11:00 AM IST

Jharkhand Health Minister felicitates 45 ophthalmologists for COVID service, confirms proposal of Medical Protection Act

Ranchi: Jharkhand Health Minister Banna Gupta on Wednesday felicitated at least 45 ophthalmologists of the state for their dedication and hard work in containing the COVID pandemic.

While appreciating the "COVID Warriors" doctors during the first and second wave of the pandemic, the minister also stated that the Jharkhand health department is analyzing the Medical Protection Act of different states, and a proposal regarding it will be brought before the assembly soon.

Also Read:Kerala: Duty doctor assaulted at taluk hospital, colleagues boycott OPD services

The felicitation ceremony was organized by the Jharkhand Ophthalmological Society in Ranchi. While lauding the doctors for their all-day-long services during COVID, Gupta shared his own experience where he had to wear a PPE kit during the course of his work for a few minutes but it was difficult.

He mentioned that in that brief amount of time, he realized the tremendous difficulty that doctors encounter while wearing protective gears for several hours. "It is the good work of doctors and their coordination with the government that helped the state to beat Covid-19 during the second wave, for which Jharkhand has been hailed by one and all," said Gupta.

Dr Bharti Kashyap, secretary, Jharkhand Ophthalmological Society stated that in order to bring justice to the assaulted doctors, it is essential to punish all those found guilty of assaulting doctors and caregivers and setting up fast track courts can be helpful in doing so.

She told The Telegraph, "These brave ophthalmologists, abandoned their comfort zones, transcended professional boundaries and put their own lives at risk to ensure that people in distress got all the necessary help to fight the second wave of Covid-19. Even at the peak of the pandemic, there were many cases of violence against doctors and medical personnel. Even women health care professionals were not spared. We need fast track courts and Medical Protection Act in our state to ensure the safety of our doctors."

In the case of doctors who passed away in the line of duty, the health minister also presented shawls and mementos to the kin of those doctors. All eminent doctors of the state, who had fallen victim to the Corona pandemic including the families of Dr.Krishna Murari Sahu, Dr.Sujit Kumar Paul and Dr.Chandrika Kishore Thakur were also felicitated.

Dr.Bibhuti Kashyap secured a gold medal for the Dr.V.S.Gupta Best Free Paper and gold was also conferred to Dr.Rahul Prasad for the Manjul Pant Best Video Session at the virtual conference of Jharkhand Ophthalmological Society organized in 2020. Dr.Lalit Jain was felicitated for his Extramural Oration at the annual conference. The other felicitated doctors are Dr Nagendra Pandit, Dr Bharat Singh, Dr Priyanka Priydarshi, Dr Ashima N R Tigga, Dr Preetish Pronoy, Dr Sarwar Alam, Dr Smita Anand, Dr Tanisha Ojha, Dr. Pinki Pal, Dr. Neha Shilpy, Dr. Sarojini Murmu, Dr. Bibha Kumari, Dr. Kumari Reena Singh, Dr. Vivek Kumar, Dr Shilpa Sanjeeta Singh, Dr. Shakti Nath Singh and Dr. Pallavi Purnima Singh, reports the daily.

During the ceremony, the Health Minister stated that the state government is consistently trying to implement the Medical Protection Act (MPA) to ensure the safety of healthcare professionals and doctors in Jharkhand.

According to the report by The Telegraph, he also informed that the Jharkhand health department is currently rules of the Medical Protection Act of four states – Bengal, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra before forming an MPA policy for itself and the study of the MPA has already reached its final phase.

Mr. Gupta further stated that any attack on a medical professional should be treated as equal to an attack on the prestige and pride of the state. "The issue of the Medical Protection Act has been raised in the State Assembly as well. We have been studying the existing laws of four states to implement a similar law in our state. I have had a discussion with the Additional Chief Secretary (Health) on the issue. I assure the doctors of Jharkhand that we will soon bring the Medical Protection Act in our state," said Gupta.

ophthalmologistsJharkhand Ophthalmological SocietyHealth MinisterCOVID dutyMedical Protection Act

Source : with inputs

Sanchari Chattopadhyay

Sanchari Chattopadhyay has pursued her M.A in English and Culture Studies from the University of Burdwan, West Bengal. She likes observing cultural specificities and exploring new places.