Docs to suspend services

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, June 16

Supporting the nationwide to extend solidarity to the incident in Bengal, doctors in Jalandhar shall be suspending OPD work for 24 hours, 6 am onwards tomorrow.

While the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has called for a nationwide strike tomorrow, doctors in Jalandhar will suspend all services except emergency.

The IMA has already demanded a central law to check violence against healthcare workers in hospitals.

Dr Mukesh Gupta former president of the IMA, Jalandhar, said, “Doctors are under acute pressure amidst the steadily growing mob rule in the country. They are at the beck and call of a mob, which decides to attack the very people saving their lives. Patients need to have faith. But due to rising hostilities, doctors who are clearly much less in numbers feel choked in such an environment. Such incidents are also causing brain drain of experts in the region. There is no central act so far to ensure protection of doctors from such elements. Even so, we shall only strike OPD services tomorrow and emergency services will be delivered because we don’t want to harm patients.”

After an incident of violence against Dr Paribaha Mukherjee and his colleague Yash Tekwani at NRS Medical College, Kolkata, junior doctors in West Bengal had been agitating, demanding security for themselves in government hospitals.

Dr Mukhrjee was attacked by a violent mob at the medical college, leaving a severe depression in his skull. The duo was attacked by relatives of a patient who died at the hospital.

IMA demands national law

Phagwara: A national protest day was observed by doctors throughout the country on Friday and now, a call has been given by the Indian Medical Association’s national wing for complete bandh for 24 hours, owing to the recent incident in West Bengal, where two young doctors were brutally attacked.

“All OPDs of all hospitals, nursing homes and clinics will remain closed tomorrow (June 17). Only emergency cases will be attended to,” said Dr SPS Sooch, former president of the state IMA and IMA Phagwara president Dr Rajan.

In a press release issued here on Sunday, both IMA office-bearers said the increasing incidents of violence against doctors were very shocking and unfortunate.

The IMA has been demanding a national law against hospital violence for the past many years, but now, it has declared a zero-tolerance policy on violence against doctors and healthcare establishments.

They said, “Even the World Medical Association has passed a resolution against violence at healthcare establishments and urged to bring stronger legislation against this as it has been observed that the increase in violence will adversely affect the public health at large. They appealed to the people to co-operate. Physicians Forum founder president Dr S Mahindra and other doctors appealed to the people to co-operate with the IMA’s decision.”

Law to check violence

• The IMA has already demanded a central law to check violence against healthcare workers in hospitals.
• After an incident of violence against Dr Paribaha Mukherjee and his colleague Yash Tekwani at NRS Medical College, Kolkata, junior doctors in West Bengal had been agitating, demanding security for themselves in government hospitals.
• Dr Mukhrjee was attacked by a violent mob at the medical college, leaving a severe depression in his skull. The duo was attacked by relatives of a patient who died at the hospital.