Tanda medical college doctors call off stir

Dharamsala, August 20

Doctors at the Tanda medical college, who were protesting against the murder and rape of a doctor in Kolkata since Friday, have called off their stir.

Earlier, the doctors had extended their strike demanding amendment to the Medicare Protection Act to make offences of violence against medical professionals non-bailable. The doctors said the strike was called off after a meeting between their association and Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu in Shimla. The CM has assured to look into their demands.

The doctors claimed that presently the offences under the Act were bailable.

Dr Munish Saroch, president of the Tanda Medical College Teachers Association, said over the years there had been a rise in offences against the doctors on duty. “We want the government to make such offences non-bailable,” he said.

With doctors not attending OPDs for past four days, patients in Tanda medical college, a premier medical institute of lower Himachal, had been at the receiving end. Many patients from far-flung areas of Mandi and Chamba districts had been waiting to seek advice from doctors. Tanda medical college caters to about 3,000 patients in OPDs every day.