As many as 240 junior doctors continued to remain off-duty on Thursday at Dr BR Ambedkar Memorial Hospital crippling healthcare services while putting patients to undue hardship.
The junior doctors, under the banner of Junior Doctors Association (JUDA), are currently on an indefinite strike while demanding a hike in stipend and other facilities.
Although the hospital administration and senior officers of Health Department claimed to have made alternate arrangements to maintain the services, the consequences of the strike were clearly visible. The patients were seen waiting in OPDs of almost every department while the indoor patients also faced problems.
The on-duty senior doctors overworked due to huge turnout of the patients on Thursday. Hospital sources said that the surgeries have been postponed and experts are being arranged from outside to provide regular services at the hospital.
Director, Medical Education Pratap Singh visited the hospital to take stock of the arrangements made in view of the strike. The hospital authorities claimed that the doctors from different parts of the State have been brought to Dr Ambedkar Hospital to deal with the situation.
Singh said that the hospital has been working smoothly due to preparation in advance. He, however, acknowledged that the hospital was overcrowded and the extra turnout of patients was due to recent holidays.
As many as 70 doctors from Bilaspur and Rajnandgaon Medical Colleges besides district hospitals of Raipur, Dhamtari, Mahasamund and Durg have been directed to serve at Ambedkar Hospital.
“Out of these, 48 had reached Dr Ambedkar and others will come soon,” said Public Relation Officer of Dr Ambedkar Hospital Dr Shubhra Singh Thakur.
In addition to this, the Government has directed the assistant professors of the medical college to stay at the hospital for emergency service. Junior doctors have been ordered to vacate the hostels.
Taking a tough stand against the agitating doctors, the State Government on Thursday issued notice to them to vacate the hostels within 24 hours. They are also being served show cause notice for violating the terms of Post Graduate admission by going on strike.
The junior doctors have violated the PG Admission rules and they will face action for this. Show cause notice is being served to them seeking explanation why action should not be taken against them for violation of rules. They should either join their duties or action will be taken against them, Director Medical Education Pratap Singh told The Pioneer.
They ( junior doctors) have been issued notice through the Dean to vacate the Medical College hostel, said Singh adding that their demands are irrational.
On the other hand, the junior doctors took a stance on the matter and said that they would not call off the strike unless their demands are not met.
“We are agitating for the cause of patients, their attendants and for increase in our stipend. The government has paid no attention on other demands except for raising a question on the demand for hike in stipend,” said president of Junior Doctors Association Dr Kunal Paul.
Dr Paul said that the order issued by the authorities to vacate the hostels has added to resentment against the government which seems to have turned insensitive towards the female doctors from different parts of the State living in these hostels.
“Before being a junior doctor, we are the citizens of the state and how can a government abruptly decide to throw us out of the hostel,” said a female junior doctor.
The junior doctors said that not a single officer has come to meet them after they started the indefinite strike. They expressed determination to continue with the strike unless all their demands are fulfilled.