GMCH doctors demand personal apology from health minister, halt protest for a day
Panaji (PTI): Doctors from the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) on Monday halted their protest for a day against state Health Minister Vishwajit Rane and set a 24-hour deadline for him to personally apologise to the senior doctor whose suspension he ordered in public view.
Doctors held a protest against the minister, while the opposition Congress has demanded his ouster over the incident that occurred at the GMCH on Saturday.
He had lashed out at GMCH's chief medical officer (CMO), Dr Rudresh Kuttikar, for allegedly misbehaving with patients during his surprise visit to the premier facility and ordered his suspension.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Sunday tried to control the damage by overruling the controversial decision.
ALSO READ: Goa minister apologises as GMCH doctors stage protest; Congress demands his ouster
Rane is facing severe backlash from organisations, including the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and Goa Association of Resident Doctors (GARD), which has threatened a strike.
Several doctors, including members of the IMA's Goa unit, heads of departments of the GMCH, consultants, students and medical interns, staged a protest against Rane in front of the hospital in Bambolim.
Protestors suspended the agitation after the intervention of GMCH dean Dr Shivanand Bandekar.
Talking to reporters, GARD president Ayush Sharma said that Dr Kuttikar should receive a personal apology from the minister.
Earlier in the day, the minister had tendered an apology through social media to the doctor. The protestors, however, were not happy with the gesture.
"Step in our shoes and think whether the apology was worth the disgrace faced by the doctor," Sharma said.
In a social media post, Rane wrote, "My heartfelt apology to Dr Kuttikar for the harsh words I spoke during my visit to GMCH."
"In the heat of the moment, my emotions overtook my expression, and I deeply regret the manner in which I addressed the situation," the minister said.
He stated that it was never his intention to undermine or disrespect the dignity of any medical professional.
"Doctors hold a sacred and noble position in our society. They work tirelessly to heal, to comfort, and to save lives," he said.
The minister said while he may have erred in his communication, his intent was always to ensure that no patient is denied timely care and that the public health system remains responsive and compassionate.
GMCH dean Dr Bandekar said, "They (doctors) have asked for an apology. I have informed the office of the health minister about the same."
"As the dean, I, along with HoDs, have decided to avoid such incidents. We will work together," he said.
The dean further said the administration has accepted the doctors' demand to ban videography and photography in the hospital, including the casualty ward, and ban the VIP culture.
"We will frame a standard operating procedure for the VIP treatment," he said.
The Congress has voiced support for the protesting doctors, demanding Rane's ouster.
Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Amit Patkar, in a post on X, said the party has unwavering solidarity with the state's doctors.
"When those who save lives are forced to hang up their stethoscopes and take to the streets, it's not just a strike — it's a cry for dignity, justice, and safety," he said.
He said the real disease plaguing Goa is the BJP's intoxicated arrogance.
"Vishwajit Rane's abuse of power has crossed all limits," he said.
Patkar demanded action from Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, saying, "Sack him now or face a mass revolt."
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Sensex climbs 304 pts, Nifty closes above 24,600 as steady US inflation fuels global rally
Mumbai, Aug 13 (PTI): Stock markets rebounded on Wednesday with benchmark Sensex closing higher by 304 points on buying in metal, auto and pharma shares as steady US inflation data propelled a sharp rally in global markets.
The 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 304.32 points or 0.38 per cent to settle at 80,539.91. During the day, it jumped 448.15 points or 0.55 per cent to 80,683.74.
The 50-share NSE Nifty edged up by 131.95 points or 0.54 per cent to 24,619.35.
Analysts said retail inflation slowing to an 8-year low of 1.55 per cent in July led to the positive trend in domestic equities.
"Indian equities experienced a broad-based optimism as CPI hit an eight-year low, boosting hopes for a revival in discretionary spending, led by autos and metals. Globally, sentiment improved on the extension of China’s tariff deadline and easing oil prices.
"Despite uncertainties around Trump’s trade stance and global risks, India’s growth-inflation dynamics remain favourable for FY26 with risk to marginal downgrade based on tariff updates. India looks forward to the Trump-Putin meet dated 15th August," Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Limited, said.
Among Sensex firms, Bharat Electronics, Eternal, Mahindra & Mahindra, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Tata Motors and Power Grid were the gainers.
However, Adani Ports, ITC, UltraTech Cement and Titan were among the laggards.
Retail inflation slowed to an 8-year low of 1.55 per cent in July, falling below the Reserve Bank's comfort zone for the first time since January 2019, helped by subdued prices of food items, according to government data released on Tuesday.
"Indian equities advanced on Wednesday, buoyed by easing domestic retail inflation, positive global cues, and renewed hopes of a US Federal Reserve rate cut, Gaurav Garg, Analyst, Lemonn Markets Desk, said.
The BSE smallcap gauge climbed 0.58 per cent and midcap index went up by 0.56 per cent.
Among BSE sectoral indices, healthcare jumped 1.76 per cent, metal (1.22 per cent), auto (1.18 per cent), consumer discretionary (0.96 per cent), industrials (0.70 per cent) and financial services (0.45 per cent).
Oil & Gas and FMCG were the laggards.
Shares of Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd spurted by nearly 8 per cent, emerging as lead gainer among Nifty50 shares after the healthcare services provider reported a 42 per cent jump in profit after tax to Rs 433 crore in the June quarter.
Paytm shares closed higher by 3 per cent as Paytm Payments Services received the Reserve Bank of India's nod to operate as an online payment aggregator.
As many as 2,230 stocks advanced while 1,861 declined and 155 remained unchanged on the BSE.
Among Asian markets, South Korea's Kospi, Japan's Nikkei 225 index, Shanghai's SSE Composite index and Hong Kong's Hang Seng settled sharply higher. European markets were trading in the green.
The US markets ended significantly higher on Tuesday.
Global oil benchmark Brent crude dipped 0.36 per cent to USD 65.88 a barrel.
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 3,398.80 crore on Tuesday, according to exchange data. Sensex dropped 368.49 points or 0.46 per cent to settle at 80,235.59 while Nifty went lower by 97.65 points or 0.40 per cent to 24,487.40 on Tuesday.
