SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, March 1: Health services at the private and government hospitals, including six medical colleges on Wednesday morning were completely paralyzed in the state as over 14,000 registered doctors began 24 hours’ (6 am of Wednesday to 6 am of Thursday) token boycott in protest against regular assault and insult to medicos.
Ranchi sadar hospital and the OPD of Rajendra Institute of Medical Science (RIMS) bore a deserted look. Though the doctors in Sadar hospital and teachers at RIMS were present on duty but followed the token boycott call of the Jharkhand Health Service Association (JHSA and the Indian Medical Association. Noted ophthalmologist Dr Bharti Kashyap staged protests alongwith the members of the JHSA at RIMS.
JHSA Secretary Dr Thakur Mritunjay Kumar Singh claimed that doctors in each private clinic/ nursing home and government health centre in all the 24 districts of the state are expressing their resentment against frequent assault on medicos by observing token boycott of services.
“Providing security to doctors is the responsibility of the state government. But the government looks insensitive. It has not even bothered to contact the doctors’ bodies over the issue so far. Even MLA Saryu Roy raised the issue in the Assembly but it did not wake the government from slumber,” said JHSA Secretary Dr Thakur.
IMA state coordinator Dr Ajay Kumar Singh said that 14000 doctors are registered in the state and all of them are following the token boycott for safety and dignity.
At RIMS Ranchi, teachers and doctors under Teachers Association president Dr Prabhat Kumar and Junior Doctors Association President Dr Jayadeep Choudhary got the OPD closed to show their resentment. However, the doctors attended indoor and emergency services so that no patient suffered.
At Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College Hospital (MGMMCH) Jamshedpur, teachers, doctors and medical officers of Sadar hospital, medicos of the private clinics/ nursing homes while following the boycott took out a rally from MGMMCH hospital to the deputy commissioner’s office to lodge their protest. They also submit a memorandum to the DC.
At Shahid Nirmal Mahto Medical College Hospital (SNMMCH) Dhanbad, doctors boycotted the OPD but attended to the patients in emergency. The doctors at Sadar hospital, private clinics also did not hold the OPD.
Teachers of the three new medical colleges of the state also did not attend the OPD patients.
JHSA secretary Dr Thakur said that a joint meeting of the IMA and the JHSA would be held in Ranchi at 6 pm today to discuss the future course of action.
