Ailing population in the State faced difficulties on Thursday as doctors in private hospitals, nursing homes and clinics chose not to treat patients as a protest against assault on Kanpur doctors.
The Statewide protest in private hospitals came after the Indian Medical Association (IMA) announced a nationwide strike to condemn the assault on doctors in Kanpur allegedly by police and supporters of Samajwadi Party MlA Irfan Solanki. However, several private hospitals resumed their services in the Out Patient Department (OPD) within a few hours into the strike. The emergency wards were kept open throughout the day. The summon for protest evoked a mixed response from the private hospitals.
“In the wake of protest, we turned down patients with minor ailments but only for an hour or two in the morning. But the OPD remained open and we are treating patients,” said Dr Prachi Baranwal who runs a private hospital in the city. Severely criticising the assault on doctors in Kanpur, the State President of the IMA Dr Prabhat Kumar Shrivastava said that misbehaviour with doctors has become a common occurrence and the Governments of every State need to take firm action against this trend.
“We received strong response from doctors all around the State. Future course of action will be decided according to the instructions received by the IMA,” Shrivastava told The Pioneer over phone. Doctors in Kanpur on Thursday called off their six-day strike against the attack on their colleagues here, a day after the Uttar Pradesh Government invoked ESMA against the striking doctors. The Allahabad High Court too stepped in to resolve the deadlock.
On Wednesday, more than 1,200 junior doctors, under-graduates, interns and consultants from the Government-run Dr BR Ambedkar Hospital in the city had joined the strike protesting against alleged high-handedness of police and administration against junior doctors in Kanpur. They had shut the OPD, held a rally and submitted a memorandum to Governor Shekhar Dutt.