Intensifying their protest on the issue of personal security during duty hours, as many as 1700 doctors in Himachal Pradesh observed a two-hour strike on Friday. The strike by doctors in all government health facilities led to increase in the sufferings of patients, who had to wait in queue for additional two hours, as doctors did not examine patients from 9 am to 11 am.
The call for state wide call for the pen down strike was given by Himachal Medical Officers Association (HMOA) and 1400 members of the association besides 300 doctors of Resident Doctors Associations of IGMC Shimla and RPMGC Tanda and around 50 of Dental Doctors Association, Shimla remained off work for two hours. The sufferings of patients is likely to increase more, as the pen down strike will continue from tomorrow onwards, and go till February 12.
The pen down strike, on Friday, follows the mass leave by the members off HMOA on January 23. Talking about the pen down strike, General Secretary HMOA Dr. Sant lal told that the doctors will continue the pen down strike till February 12, if the government did not take a serious thought on their demands.
Although government has called a meeting with the doctors on the issue on February 7, but doctors fraternity is in no mood to slow down their protest. Dr lal alleged that the government’s approach in calling a meeting with doctors did not seem serious, and that is why, doctors decided to continue the strike.
He said that ensuring protection of the doctors, paramedics and other hospital staffs was government’s responsibility and they had long been seeking new non-bailable legislation in the analogy of Medical Act 2010, which had already been implemented by 16 states in the country.
He told that doctors held gate meetings all over the state on Friday however after two hours of pen down strike they resumed their duties so it did not cause more hardship to the gullible patients whom were suffering due to the rigid and reckless attitude of the government towards the safety of doctors. The emergency services in government hospitals were kept out of the strike.Dr lal warned if the doctors did not get a suitable response from the government soon, doctors might resign in mass on February 24.
Dr. lal said that in recent past a number of cases had happened, where the doctors had to suffer the terror of political or other influential people, while performing their duty.
Quoting incidents of harassment faced by the doctors, Dr lal said that despite a number of incidents, where the doctor’s security was at stake, the government has not responded to the matter. He claimed that a doctor in Bilaspur had to proceed on leave, fearing for his security from the anger of local Congress leader and his associates. In the matter, the doctor had refused to issue a medical certificate on the asking of the leader.In another incident, a doctor in Una hospital was made to apologize to a dead person on December 22, as the people, who had brought the deceased to the hospital were not satisfied with the medical assistance provided at the hospital. Humiliated by the incidents, the doctor suffered cardiac arrest after some time.
Dr lal however did not deny attending the meeting called by the government on February 7.