The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has called for a nationwide strike with withdrawal of non-essential health services across the country in the wake of the recent assault on doctors in West Bengal.
Doctors of state-run medical colleges and hospitals in West Bengal demanding better security will meet chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday to put across their demands as thousands of patients have been affected by the ongoing agitation.
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Healthcare services in Delhi to take a hit
Healthcare services at government and private hospitals in the national capital will be hit on Monday as scores of doctors, including those at AIIMS, have decided to boycott work for a day in support of their striking colleagues in West Bengal.
Resident Doctors’ Association of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi, which earlier decided not to join the strike, announced withdrawal of all nonessential services from noon after a junior doctor at its trauma centre was assaulted in the early hours of Monday.
The medico at the Jai Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Centre was allegedly assaulted for “giving preferential care to a critical patient”, the RDA said in a statement.
Karnataka doctors on day-long strike
About 40,000 doctors, paramedics and nurses began a day-long strike on Monday in state-run and private hospitals across Karnataka in support of their West Bengal colleagues, seeking safety, security and protection at work, an official said.
“As all the doctors, nurses and their support staff are on strike, out-patient departments (OPDs) in government and private hospitals are closed for the day. Only emergency services are available and casualty wards are open,” the state’s Indian Medical Association (IMA) treasurer B. Veeranna told IANS here.
Of the 15,000 hospitals across the southern state, about 2,000, including primary health centres are run by the government, while the remaining (13,000) are in the private sector.
Lucknow doctors on 24-hour strike
Health care services in the Uttar Pradesh capital were largely crippled on Monday as over 10,000 doctors proceeded on strike in support of their counterparts in West Bengal.
The resident doctors of King George’s Medical University (KGMU) and Queen Mary’s hospital, Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) and Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences (RMLIMS) proceeded on strike at 6.a.m and will stay off work till Tuesday 6 a.m.
20,000 govt hospital doctors in Delhi on strike
Around 20,000 resident doctors from government hospitals in the national capital will go on strike on Monday demanding a central law to protect those in the medical profession.
The call for the strike was given by the Indian Medical Association (IMA), a representative body for doctors.The Resident Doctor’s Association of AIIMS, however, has withdrawn its strike and decided to function as usual for now. According to a press release on Sunday evening, the RDA will hold a protest march from 8 to 9 am on Monday following which the doctors shall resume duties.
Private hospital doctors were yet to confirm participation.
The strike is likely to hit outpatient clinics and other routine services (like diagnostics). Emergency services, however, won’t be affected, doctors assured.
Doctors on strike in Jharkhand, OPDs across the state to remain shut
The out-patient department (OPD) services at government hospitals across Jharkhand are off on Monday after doctors decided to skip duty following Indian Medical Association (IMA) call to boycott health service in protest against the assault on doctors in West Bengal.
IMA-Jamshedpur general secretary Dr Mrittunjay Singh on Saturday appealed to the doctors of government and private hospitals to boycott work from Monday 6am to Tuesday 6am in solidarity with the assault on junior doctors at Neel Ratan Sarakar Medical College Hospital (NRS) in Kolkata on June 10 after the death of an 85-year-old patient during treatment there.
Doctors demand law against violence on medicos
The apex medical body, IMA, has demanded a comprehensive central law in dealing with violence on doctors and healthcare staff, and in hospitals. Security measures and the determinants leading to violence should also be addressed, it said in a statement.
Exemplary punishment for perpetrators of violence should be a component of the central law and suitable amendments should be brought in the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), the IMA said.
Emergency, casualty services will continue to function
The IMA said all non-essential services, including outdoor patient department (OPD) services, will be withdrawn for 24 hours from 6 am on Monday to 6 am Tuesday. Emergency and casualty services will continue to function, it said.
IMA goes ahead with nationwide strike
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) Sunday said it will go ahead with its strike on June 17 with withdrawal of non-essential health services across the country in the wake of the recent assault on doctors in West Bengal.
Source: HindustanTimes