(Updates with quotes from Dr. Pou, paragraphs 7-8, 16; Louisiana Attorney General, paragraph 11; adds details, edits)

By Russell McCulley

NEW ORLEANS, July 24 (Reuters) - All charges against a doctor accused of murdering patients who were suffering in a chaotic New Orleans hospital after Hurricane Katrina have been dropped, local prosecutors said on Tuesday.

An Orleans Parish grand jury refused to indict Anna Pou, who along with two nurses from Memorial Medical Center was arrested last year on charges they euthanized four people, aged 61 to 90, with lethal injections of medications on Sept. 1, 2005.

The charges against the nurses, Lori Budo and Cheri Landry, were dropped in June.

At least 34 people died in the sweltering hospital as it sat flooded and without electricity after Katrina struck on Aug. 29, 2005.

The Pou case came to symbolize the tragedy of New Orleans, where hundreds died as they waited for help that took days to come to the flooded city.

While prosecutors pursued second-degree murder charges, many viewed Pou and other medical professionals who stayed to care for their patients as heroes. Earlier this month, about 500 supporters rallied at City Park in her defense.

"Today's events are not a triumph, but a moment of remembrance for those who lost their lives during the storm, and a tribute to all of those who stayed at their post and served people most in need," a tearful Pou read in a statement to reporters on Tuesday.

"All of us need to remember the magnitude of human suffering that occurred in the City of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina so that we can ensure that this never happens again, and that no health-care professional should ever be falsely accused in a rush to judgment," said Pou.

She said she hopes to resume practicing medicine, which she had to stop after the initial charges were pressed last year by Louisiana Attorney General Charles Foti.

In lawsuits filed last week, Pou said the charges against her had been politically motivated and she demanded that Louisiana pay for her defense against several wrongful death lawsuits filed since her arrest.

Foti on Tuesday defended the case, saying in a statement he was "very proud" of his office's efforts on behalf of the hospital patients and their families.

But Orleans Parish District Attorney Eddie Jordan, who had to pursue the indictment after Foti pressed charges, said he agreed with the grand jury's decision.

"I think that the grand jury considered all the evidence, and carefully considered it," he told reporters at a local church event. "I think justice has been served."

In January, Orleans Parish coroner Frank Minyard, citing inconclusive toxicology tests and the deteriorated state of the alleged victims' bodies, declined to classify their deaths as homicides.

Pou said she would stay again in a hurricane if needed.

"In a heartbeat," she told reporters. "I really feel that there's no one better that knows what needs to be done or understands what it's like than those of us who were here at the hospital during Katrina."

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