In the wake of a clash between doctors and the supporters of Samajwadi Party (SP) that led to the arrest of over two dozen doctors in Kanpur, the doctors in Ghaziabad went on an indefinite strike on Monday after the decision taken by the Ghaziabad unit of Indian Medical Association (IMA). The doctors of AIIMS will also observe a ‘black badge day’ on Tuesday as a gesture to support the ongoing strike.
Ghaziabad IMA President Dr Anil Tomar said that all the OPD services were suspended and the doctors have been undertaking candle march from Navyug Market. But on humanitarian grounds, emergency services have been kept away from the strike. The doctors of Ghaziabad and Hapur-based three medical colleges, including Santosh Medical College, Rama Medical College and Saraswati Medical College have supported the call. The super speciality hospitals like Pushpanjali Crosslay, Yashoda and ColumbiaAsia too have shut down their OPD while emergency services have been asked to remain untouched.
Giving details of the Kanpur incident, Dr Tomar claimed that after a small incident of road rage at a petrol pump, the Swarup Nagar police barged into the hostel of the medical college to brutally beat and arrest 24 medical students. A professor of Social and Preventive Medicine (SPM) sustained fractures in his ribs following the police attack on the seniormost doctors. Hence, the UP unit of IMA had given a call to the practicing doctors to go on strike.
Following the incident, the strike is likely to spread to the national Capital and even across the country after the IMA Secretary General Dr Narendra Saini, at the Delhi Branch, threatened to shut down OPD services in the Capital if the apprehended doctors were not released within 48 hours. “We demand immediate arrest of Irfan Solanki, the SP MlA who with his supporters attacked our students. He should be arrested and an FIR must be lodged against him for attempt to murder, abduction, illegal use of force and assault on doctors on duty and damage to Government property,” said Saini, adding that if these demands were not met within 24 hours, doctors across the nation would shut down OPD services in protest of the incident. On February 28, a clash broke out between supporters of Solanki and junior doctors of the college in Kanpur which left several people, including medical students, police, and civilians, injured. Thirty six junior doctors were arrested. Twelve of them were later released.