A day after the Haryana Government suspended four senior medical officers over poor monitoring of measures aimed at improving the sex ratio in their respective areas, the Haryana Civil Medical Services Association (HCMSA) has come out in their support.
The association has written to Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, urging him to revoke the suspension orders and take a “considerate view” of the matter. The HCMSA termed the action irrational and said holding doctors solely responsible for a complex social issue was unfair.
HCMSA president Dr Anil Yadav said attributing responsibility for the adverse sex ratio entirely to HCMS doctors and taking punitive action against them was “unfair, arbitrary and contrary to principles of natural justice.”
“We are not against accountability, but it must be fair and justified. It should be ensured that no coercive action is taken unless there is gross negligence on the part of doctors,” he said.
He further said the suspension of four doctors — including one who had recently been recognised for remarkable work in improving the sex ratio — had severely demoralised the medical fraternity.
HCMSA senior vice-president Dr Nitin Phalswal said the issue of declining sex ratio was deeply rooted in social and cultural factors and could not be addressed by the Health Department alone.
“When doctors conduct raids to implement the PC & PNDT Act provisions, they often face political pressure,” he said.
He stressed that departments such as Women and Child Development, Police, Education and Panchayati Raj institutions, along with society at large, must work collectively to improve the situation.
The suspended officers are Dr Tina Anand of CHC Purkhas in Sonepat, Dr Vijay Parmar of CHC Radaur in Yamunanagar, Dr Satpal of CHC Chiri in Rohtak and Dr Prabha of CHC Sehlang in Narnaul.
