Doctors go on strike over medical officer’s murder
April 2nd, 2011 - 6:08 pm ICT by IANSLucknow, April 2 (IANS) Work in almost all government hospitals and dispensaries across Uttar Pradesh was paralysed shortly after a chief medical officer (CMO) was murdered outside his residence here Saturday morning.
V.P. Singh, 50, the chief medical officer for family welfare, was killed in the Gomti Nagar area when he was taking a morning walk.
Following the killing of Singh, who was the general secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Provincial Medical Service Association (UPPMSA), doctors at all state-run medical and health centres boycotted work.
They demanded immediate arrest of the killers and sought a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the incident.
Due to the the doctors’ strike, post-mortem examination and emergency services were stalled in hospitals across the 72 districts. Patients faced a harrowing time as the para-medical staff too joined the strike.
Association president U.N. Rai said: “We had no choice but to proceed on strike as we had reason to believe that laxity and callousness of the state police was responsible for the murder.”
“Six months back, the earlier incumbent on the same position was gunned down under similar circumstances,” he said, recalling that then Lucknow CMO (family welfare) Vinod Arya was gunned down in October 2010.
Award of huge contracts for supply of goods and equipment under the centrally-funded National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) appeared to be linked to the murders, according to government doctors.
They alleged that pilferage out of the NRHM funds could be behind Singh’s killing.
The NRHM covers areas including maternal and child health, immunisation, blindness control programme, leprosy control, tuberculosis and several vector-borne diseases.
- Rahul makes surprise visit to government office in Lucknow - Apr 28, 2011
- Strike over Lucknow medical officer's murder suspended - Apr 04, 2011
- Uttar Pradesh admits health scheme bungling - Apr 26, 2011
- Rahul Gandhi seeks details from UP Govt. over usage of heath funds - Apr 27, 2011
- Medical officer's death sparks protests in Uttar Pradesh - Jun 23, 2011
- Doctor's murder: Two Mayawati ministers resign (Lead) - Apr 08, 2011
- Five suspended for medical officer's death in jail (Lead) - Jun 23, 2011
- Medical officer shot dead in Lucknow (Lead) - Apr 02, 2011
- Dead medical officer's kin demands CBI probe, opposition cries foul - Jun 23, 2011
- SC/ST panel questions Uttar Pradesh on doctor's death - Jun 25, 2011
- Uttar Pradesh doctors to resume protests from Monday - Apr 10, 2011
- CBI to probe Uttar Pradesh medical officers' killings - Jul 27, 2011
- Register murder case, demands Uttar Pradesh doctor's wife (Lead) - Jun 24, 2011
- Uttar Pradesh jail death: Family plans legal action - Jun 24, 2011
- Samajwadi Party demands Mayawati's dismissal - Jun 25, 2011
Tags: callousness, cbi probe, central bureau of investigation, control tuberculosis, dispensaries, family welfare, gomti nagar, government doctors, government hospitals, laxity, leprosy control, maternal and child health, medical officer, medical service association, mortem examination, national rural health, national rural health mission, pilferage, v p singh, vector borne diseases