Docs tear into CP over remark that most diagnostic tests are not needed

The Association of Medical Consultants has written to Mumbai Commissioner of Police Sanjay Pandey, asking him to withdraw his statement made regarding the medical fraternity. The biggest association of doctors is upset with the remark and has hit back with some facts. At an event held on March 27 at Hotel Sahara Star, Pandey said that patients are treated as a commodity by doctors and sent for “more than necessary” diagnostic tests at “preferred laboratories”.

The letter from the association reads, “Every profession has a few black sheep. The police, more so. It has been proven statistically that the police department ranks second in corruption and doctors feature at the very bottom…if at all. In your statement, you said that people go to doctors and the police as a last resort. This however, is not true at all.”

“When you were on the dais as chief guest, you also made a mention that unnecessary tests were done during the pandemic and that it is your personal experience that Covid could be treated by a simple Paracetamol. Wish that was true. Wish you had told the government this, so that the government would not have spent crores of rupees in establishing health care facilities and more than 1,500 doctors would not have died in vain. Had only crocin been made available, we would have millions of more deaths on our hands,” the letter reads further.

One of the doctors said, “We reiterate that the association shall stand solidly behind any member found to be harassed by any anti-social element, be it the police, politician or media. We shall not hesitate to go to court or suspend services till the culprit is brought to book.