Youth Congress protest takes on violent hues at GMC Ernakulam

Kochi: The protest march organized by the youth Congress activists took on violent hues when they tried to leap across police barricades erected in front of the Government Medical College Ernakulam.

The activists who entered the college premises and gheraoed the administrative block of the medical college were arrested by the Kalamassery police.

The protesters were agitating against the doctors and employees of the medical college who were allegedly responsible for the deaths of Shamna Tasneem and Jerin Michael.

The two had died in different incidents in the medical college, bringing to the fore the lack of infrastructure facility and alleged negligence on the part of doctors.

While Shamna a student of the college had collapsed in June, last year due the alleged reaction to an injection administered ; Jerin who was brought into the emergency last month died because of an alleged wrong diagnosis and lack of attention to an emergency case. Both cases showed the lack of facility and expertise in handling emergencies.

The protest march was inaugurated by P.T. Thomas, MLA, who said the government was conspiring against public health institutions. “The LDF is trying to cut down the seats that was provided by the UDF government in Idukki and Harippad medical colleges,” he said. “The Health Minister is interested only in giving promises,” he told the Hindu.

The protest meeting was held at the second gate of the medical college.
The meeting also asked the government to make public the inquiry report on the death of Shamna Tasneem and to integrate the employees according to PSC eligibility.