A DAY AFTER CIVIL HOSPITAL LOCKDOWN, MAUR GETS FIVE DOCS

Five doctors, including two specialists, a senior medical officer and two medical officers have been posted in the hospital and three of them have joined SAKSHI SAWHNEY , ADC

A day after Maur residents locked the gates of the local civil hospital demanding appointment of doctors, the district administration yielded and appointed five doctors on Tuesday. No doctor was posted in the hospital which has sanctioned posts of four specialists, one medical officer and one medical officer (dental).

The protesters included farmers, workers of Shiromani Panth Akali Budha Dal, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and families affected by twin bomb blasts that had rocked Maur in January 2017. They did not allow hospital staff to enter the premises. Traders also observed a complete bandh in the state in support of the protest.

With the protesters not letting up and locking the hospital gates even on the second day, additional deputy commissioner Sakshi Sawhney met the protesters. After she announced posting of doctors, the protest was called off. On Monday, the staff that had been locked in could come out only by late evening.

“After an assurance from the administration, we have decided to end the protest. The committee that is steering the protest had decided that if the hospital does not improve its functioning, traders will observe a bandh again, after 10 days,” said Devinder Singh, leader of Nihang Singh Budha Dal, another protesting group.

ADC Sahwney added, “Five doctors, including two specialists, a senior medical officer and two medical officers have been posted in the hospital and three of them have joined.”She added an NGO had announced that it would provide a refrigerator for the hospital mortuary and soon post-mortems would also be conducted there.