Medical services across Jharkhand will be completely shut down on Wednesday in protest against killing of Surgeon and Gumla RCH official Dr RB Chaudhary as doctors cutting across their professional boundaries joined hands to convey their anguish over what they believe as administrative failure that led to the killing of Dr Chaudhary.
The strike has been called by Jharkhand chapter of Indian Medical Association (IMA) and Jharkhand State Health Services Association (JHASA) — a Government doctors’ body. Seven squads have been formed by the two associations to enforce shutdown of medical services in private and government hospitals.
Doctors organised a protest march today from IMA building to Albert Ekka Chowk to protest killing of the Gumla RCH Official. The call for a state-wide shutdown will exempt emergency and post-mortem services at government and other hospitals. The march expressing solidarity of private doctors with JHASA was attended by doctors from Dhanbad and Jamshedpur as well. A delegation of doctors met Minister Health, Ramchandra Chandravanshi to present the demand note prepared in the late evening meeting on Monday.
“All government and private hospitals will not function on Wednesday. We have demanded compensation, job and security for the family (of the deceased),” said Secretary, Hospital Board of India, Jharkhand IMA, BP Kashyap. The delegation also demanded quick implementation of medical protection act, upon which Health Secretary K Vidyasagar assured them that the government may bring an ordinance for the purpose, informed Dr. Bharti Kashyap, president of IMA, Women’s wing Jharkhand.
Meanwhile, JHASA vowed to take the fight for justice to its logical conclusion as officials of the association adopted tough stand against government over the killing of Dr Chaudhary. The association had earlier derided the incident as detrimental to the morale of medical professionals working in hostile conditions. “Government seems to be completely oblivious to the situation. This time we will fight till the very end and we will assess the situation each day to decide future course of action,” said Secretary, JSHSA, Dr Vimlesh Singh.
The JHASA and IMA will meet today at 12 in the noon to discuss way forward to force government into action and address the concerns of doctors including ensuring security and safety issues. Incidentally, Dr Chaudhary’s dead body was found in a forest in Gumla. He was abducted on April 30 while he was being taken for examining a patient.