The doctors’ strike started by the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) on Sunday evening gained momentum on Thursday after nearly 20,000 junior doctors from government hospitals from across the country joined hands to show their solidarity and support.
Resident doctors from major government hospitals in Delhi, except the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), went on a mass bunk from 9 am to 4 pm on March 23. While doctors were posted at the emergency departments, patients who went to the hospitals’ Out Patient Departments (OPDs) were turned away and routine surgeries were put on hold.
Speaking to THE WEEK, Dr Pankaj Solanki, president of the Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA), says, “We resumed work after 4pm on Thursday. We are now waiting for a reaction from the Maharashtra government and the chief minister. If we are unhappy with their response, we will join the MARD in their indefinite strike.”
Resident doctors across government hospitals in Maharashtra decided to go on an indefinite strike after another incident of violence against a doctor was reported on Wednesday night. The incident took place in civic-run Sion hospital, where a paediatrician was hit on her hand by the relatives of a patient in the neonatal intensive care unit. Dr Suleman Merchant, dean of the hospital, says, “There was an altercation between the mother of a baby and her grandmother regarding continuing treatment in the hospital. The paediatrician tried to intervene and explain that the patient needed to continue treatment when she was slapped on her hand. We have lodged a complaint and will act as per the law.”
Despite the fact that 2,000 doctors were served with expulsion notices on Wednesday, Maharashtra resident doctors continue to be up in arms against the government. This is due to the fact that in the last fortnight itself, seven cases of assaults against doctors have been reported.
While the Bombay High Court ordered the government to provide security for doctors in government hospitals, so they can work without fear, the HC is set to hear the matter after 15 days. “From Thursday onwards, it was decided that we will go on an indefinite strike. While the emergency services will go on as usual, the regular ones will continue to get affected,” says Dr Ojasvi Batra, a resident doctor from civic-run Cooper hospital.
