The President of the Tamil Nadu chapter of the Association of Healthcare Providers of India (AHPI-TN), Dr. S. Gurushankar has strongly condemned the recurring incidents of violence taking place against doctors and healthcare workers. Yesterday’s incident of Dr. Simon Hercules, a neurosurgeon from Chennai who died after contracting coronavirus disease, not being allowed to be buried at the burial site, is the worst form of human indignity. How can we forget that he died in in the line of duty while saving these very people from the dreaded disease? He is a martyr in the true sense of the term.

Doctors are being assaulted, abused, and even spat upon, yet we have maintained our composure and are working tirelessly to save as many lives as possible. However, we do not expect such ignominy to fall upon our community in such dire times when all we are asking for is basic respect and that doctors and healthcare staff be allowed to discharge their duties. Doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers of our country are battling COVID-19 without even basic protective gear and are losing their lives while selflessly doing their jobs.

Private hospitals are hardly earning anything now and have a reached a point where they are struggling to pay salaries. Most hospitals are borrowing to pay salaries. Yet we are reaching out to all those in need of care, in this time of distress. It is my earnest request that the public should at least acknowledge that we are doing this out of a sense of responsibility to the society and because the call of our duty goes much beyond the money we make. We are steadfastly supporting the hon’ble CM in this cause to eradicate COVID from our region, however, the government too must take cognizance of all the hard work and long hours that doctors and all the medical staff are devoting to keep this pandemic in check. We fear that if the government doesn’t take some strict action soon, the doctors and other medical staff will lose all their will and motivation to serve the community and then it will become very tough to contain the pandemic.

We urge the state government to take swift preemptive action to make our healthcare staff feel more secure allowing them to go all out in dispensing their duties.