‘Steps on for criminal action against docs in Priya case’

TIRUCHY: Despite the disciplinary action initiated against the two doctors, whose negligence had led to the death of the teenage footballer Priya, the health department along with the police has been holding talks with the duo citing the apex court precedent to initiate criminal action, said health Minister Ma Subramanian in Pudukkottai on Thursday.

Speaking to media persons on the sidelines of the inauguration of various projects under the health department in Pudukkottai, Subaramanian said “Already we have initiated disciplinary action against those two doctors for their negligence and there is a directive in the apex court that criminal cases can be filed against the doctors for their medical negligence and the police would decide on the arrest based on the direction”, the minister said.

Detailing the new measures initiated by the health department, the minister said that CM Stalin, after visiting the Aam Admi Urban Health Centres in Delhi, announced as many as 708 such Urban Health Centres (UHC) would be opened across the state. “In Pudukkottai two such centres would come up soon,” he said.

Similarly, a new GH at Aranthangi in Pudukkottai district would be established at an estimated cost of Rs 46 crore and the works would commence soon, the minister informed.

Subramanian claimed that around 9,500 surgeries are undertaken in the GHs across the state daily and regional audit committee would be formed in Madurai, Tiruchy, Coimbatore and Chennai which would monitor and verify the death cases.

Nurses selected under MRB to be regularised:

The minister said that those candidates selected by the medical recruitment board would be regularised in a phased manner but there was little chance for regularising the nurses hired on contract basis and outsourcing method, he said.