Students' protests rock HCU

TNN / Mar 12, 2008, 01:11 IST

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Alleged delay in providing medical attention to a student on Sunday night has triggered a fresh wave of protests on the University of Hyderabad (HCU) campus.

HYDERABAD: Alleged delay in providing medical attention to a student on Sunday night has triggered a fresh wave of protests on the University of Hyderabad (HCU) campus.
Students boycotted classes on Tuesday, while six student representatives began a hunger strike demanding round-the-clock availability of doctors and better healthcare facilities.
Trouble started when an MA (Anthropology) second year student, Bikku Rathod, was hit by an APSRTC bus on the campus on Sunday.He suffered a fracture on his leg.
According to students, Rathod��s bike was hit by the APSRTC bus at around 9 pm, but chief medical officer (CMO) Sathya Lakshmi refused an ambulance to transport him to a hospital.

According to university norms, students are referred to reputed hospitals by doctors of the health centre. And if the case is serious, they are to be taken in an ambulance. However, for over three hours the CMO refused to provide an ambulance and even dismissed the fracture as ��minor��.
��We were told by the CMO that the injury is minor and the patient can be taken to hospital in the morning also. She delayed the process for three hours, but did allow the student to be taken in the ambulance,�� Students Federation of India (SFI) vice-president Vikram Chukka, who was with the injured student on Sunday night, told

TOI.
According to the students, the CMO referred the patient to a nearby hospital in Chandanagar only after three hours. And when he was taken there, he was referred to a better hospital. Later, he was rushed to a corporate hospital in Jubilee Hills.
Irked by the CMO��s behaviour, students organisations, including SFI, Telangana Students Association (TSA) and Dalit Students Association (DSU), on Tuesday held protests before the HCU vice-chancellor��s office.
Later, during a meeting with the vice chancellor, the students demanded that the health centre should have a doctor round-the-clock. They also asked for a doctor or a trained medical assistant to accompany student-patients when they are transported to hospital. ��The campus is far away from the city and hence there should be a doctor to attend emergencies 24X7. But, the health centre doctors leave at around 5 pm and they have to be called from their homes on campus,�� Hari Nath, a TSA activist, said.
The administration has agreed to their demands and has decided to conduct an open meeting with aggrieved students on Wednesday. "All matters which are troubling the students will be discussed on Wednesday and the shortcomings will be rectified," HCU vice-chancellor Seyed E Hasnain told TOI.

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