SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, June 4: Medicos of Dhanbad on Saturday started a two-day protest (June 4 and 5) against the assault on the doctors and staff of Asarfi Hospital.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) Dhanbad chapter on Friday evening. IMA district president Dr Major Chandan and secretary Dr Sushil Kumar said that even after 48 hours of the incident, the named accused have not been arrested. So, the doctors are left with no other option but to protest.
As per the decision, doctors of Dhanbad will work wearing black badges to show their protest against the incident.
Notably, the family members of a girl child patient on Thursday morning assaulted the staff of the hospital and misbehaved with the doctors alleging negligence in treatment. The assaulters even tore the uniform of a police officer when he came to rescue the hospital staff.
Three FIRs were lodged in the Sadar police station by the hospital authority and the police officer against 12 unidentified persons and three named accused. Police arrested two persons in this connection on the spot and sent them to jail.
Doctors and hospitals in Dhanbad have become a soft target for criminals and rude elements. In May, IMA secretary Dr Sushil Kumar was attacked in Saraidhela while a senior surgeon Dr Samir Kumar had to shut down his clinic and leave the city after receiving an extortion demand of Rs 1 crore.
Jharkhand IMA on boil
The Jharkhand IMA is on boil after the recent Dhanbad incident. State secretary Dr Pradip Kumar Singh said that IMA does not know when the Jharkhand government and its machinery will wake for the protection of doctors and health centres in the state.
“Despite government’s assurance, attack on doctors and hospitals is not stopping across the state. The DGP in April had assured to activate the decision of appointing DSP rank officers in each district as nodal officers for dealing with the attacks on doctors and health centres. But it seems as if no steps have been initiated in this regard even in 60 days,” said the IMA secretary.
Dr Singh said that such incidents would not have happened across the state if the state government had implemented the Medical Protection Act (MPA).
“IMA does not know what is the problem for the Jharkhand government in implementing the MPA. So far, 22 states have implemented the Act but the Jharkhand government is still sitting on it,” Dr Singh resented.
Dr Pradip further said that regular attacks on doctors and hospitals are not a good sign for state health services. The apathetic attitude of the government is the reason no doctor is willing to come to Jharkhand. “Government should think about it as against the recent vacancies for 300 doctors, only 75 appeared for the interview,” he added.
