Date:11/08/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/08/11/stories/2006081121340300.htm

Karnataka - Mangalore

Railway Action Committee stages dharna

Staff Correspondent

Doctor held responsible for death of trackman

Railway employees allege that the doctor has not been attending to them properly

Various railway organisations supported the protest

MANGALORE: Railway employees staged a dharna in front of the Southern Railway health unit here in protest against what they termed "dereliction of duty" by Shiv Shankar Murthy, railways doctor, here on Wednesday.

They held the doctor responsible for the death of senior trackman Nagesh Poojary here recently.

According to Democratic Youth Federation of India city committee president, who spoke at the dharna, Poojary visited Dr. Murthy with high fever on July 21.

Certificate

The doctor gave him a "fit for duty" certificate and asked him to report for work from July 23. But as the fever continued, he was admitted to the Government Wenlock Hospital on July 22 where he died of pneumonia on July 24. According to Mathew Cyriac of the Dakshina Railway Employees' Union, there were several other cases in the past where workers suffered because the doctor was not available or did not examine the patient properly.

Dr. Murthy was on leave, and not available for comment. The protest was called by the Railway Action Committee and was supported by various organisations .