District Collector Geromic George drew the wrath of the Kerala Government Medical Officers’ Association (KGMOA) for allegedly abusing his power to summon a doctor to his residence to treat an ailment.
The bureaucrat has been accused of breaching propriety by calling for a doctor from the general hospital to treat a toenail fungal infection, disregarding the hospital’s ongoing struggle with staff shortages and the consequent difficulties in patient care.
The KGMOA district president Padmaprasad P.S. and district secretary Sunitha N. denounced the action that inconvenienced several patients who waited for long hours at the hospital to seek medical attention. They also cautioned against future instances of such behaviour from individuals in positions of power, threatening strong protests if such incidents recur.
The issue will be raised in appropriate forums with a formal complaint to be lodged with the Chief Minister, they added.
The incident had taken place on May 4 when a personal assistant contacted the District Medical Officer (DMO) on behalf of the District Collector, demanding the services of a surgeon to treat the official’s affliction.
Despite highlighting the difficulty the particular requirement could cause on patients, the DMO was purportedly compelled to abide by the direction by conveying the demand to the superintendent of the general hospital.
An assistant surgeon, who was entrusted by the superintendent, had to wait for nearly half-an-hour before he could tend to the Collector’s infection. The doctor was summoned when roughly 250 people waited at the outpatient wing of the general hospital. Mr. George remained unavailable for a response.
