IMA expresses ''shock'' over Dr Shergill's suspension

Hoshiarpur, Sept 22 (UNI) Indian Medical Association (IMA), Punjab, today said it was ''shocked and appalled'' over the arbitrary action of the Punjab government in suspending Dr Ms J P K Shergill, Principal of Medical College, Amritsar, on insubstantial and fragile grounds of alleged kidney removal.

President of IMA, Punjab, Dr Amrit Sethi, while addressing media persons here this evening, said that when the preliminary enquiries had established that the case in question was a case of Wilms' Tumour (a rare cancer of kidney) in a 3-year-old child Sonia, and the surgery was done to save the life of the child with the proper consent of the parents.

''The action of the government to suspend Dr Ms J. P. K. Shergill is atrocious,'' he said.

A deputation of the IMA Punjab led by him met the Minister of Medical Education and Research, Forest, Labour and Parliamentary Affairs, Punjab, Tikshan Sud here this afternoon and requested the latter to revoke the suspension of Dr Shergill.

The Minister assured the deputation that justice would be done but explained that the suspension would only be revoked after getting the report of inquiry being conducted by the Deputy Commissioner, Amritsar, and high powered committee constituted in this connection.

Briefing about the meeting with the Minister, Dr Amrit Sethi said that according to Tikshan Sud, suspension of government officer was not a punishment, Meanwhile, IMA Punjab has also constituted a committee of experts and retired doctors including Dr Ajmer Singh, Dr I. C.

Pathak, Dr Janak Arora and Dr S. M. Gosh to also do probe in this case to bring out the ''truth'' before the public.

''Already when an enquiry in the sordid allegations is underway by the district administration, humiliating the Principal is malicious and unwarranted. It smacks on non-professional agenda of the powers that be. By giving a grant of Rs 50000 to the father of the child, who is otherwise healthy now, the government has already held the principal guilty without any enquiry. On perusal of the evidence, no case is made out prima facie against the principal,'' he claimed.

Earlier, state working committee of IMA, in an emergent meeting held here today strongly protested this injudicious action of the government and urged Mr Tikshan Sud to withdraw the impugned orders immediately before ''the whole medical fraternity rises against this blatant misuse of power''.

UNI