SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, May 4: Private nursing homes and clinics of Dhanbad have served notice of shut down from May 9 until a congenial medical environment is made.
Indian Medical Association (IMA) Dhanbad chapter on behalf of private nursing homes on Wednesday served a letter to Deputy Commissioner (DC) Sandip Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sanjiv Kumar and Civil Surgeon (CS) Shyam Kishore Kant about the indefinite strike.
The decision has been taken in wake of an attack on the IMA secretary and an extortion demand of Rs 1 crore from a doctor who has left Dhanbad with his family in fear.
IMA district executive president Dr Major Chandan said that private hospitals and clinics have one-point demand for a congenial environment for doctors in the district. Doctors are assaulted, extortion is demanded but no action is taken ever. For formality merely security guards are deployed for a couple of days and the issue is wrapped up under the carpet. On Thursday IMA secretary Dr Sushil Kumar Singh was assaulted and four days later on Monday, extortion of Rs 1 crore was demanded from Suyash Clinic owner Dr Samir Kumar.
“So, all 70 private nursing homes and health clinics having five beds above facility have decided to shut down including emergency services from May 9, if district administration failed to create a congenial environment for doctors to attend patients by May 8,” said Dr Major Chandan.
IMA executive president said that doctors of the district are unsecured. Last year Dr Umashankar Singh was assaulted by goons in Katras. Attendants of patients brutally assaulted him (Dr Chandan) at nursing in Housing Colony when he had gone to rescue doctor in April 2021. IMA secretary Dr Sushil Kumar Singh was attacked when he was coming along with his wife in a car near Big Bazaar. The administration was informed duly but no fruitful action came.
“All these incidents have created a sense of unsafe among medicos in the coal belt. Now extortion call to Dr Samir Kumar has compelled the IMA to fight for the finish,” said Dr Chandan.
IMA officials said that deployment of police personnel for the security of doctors and nursing homes is no solution rather it is an additional burden on medicos as police administration hands over the heavy bills for that. “A few years ago Bindu Singh gang had demanded extortion from two famous surgeons of Dhanbad Dr SK Karan and Dr AK Sahay (now late). Police administration provided them security guards but later on, heavy bills were serviced both of them for services. So, only a congenial environment is the need of the hour,” officials added.
Dr Chandan said that IMA state president Dr AK Singh and secretary Dr Pradip Kumar Singh would be informed on May 9 if doctors do not get a proper environment for health service.
