Crippled health services now in ICU as resident doctors join striking doctors Another PIL in HC: Dismiss all striking doctors
MISERY Out of around 10,000 inservice doctors, 7193 are absent or on strike JAIPUR:Health
services in the state were further crippled on Thursday with resident doctors of all the six government medical colleges joining the ongoing strike of in-service doctors. The in-service doctors are on strike from Monday and their strike entered the fourth day on Thursday.
The government has called a meeting of striking doctors at 4.30pm at the secretariat to discuss their issues and this time the secretary of the finance department will also be present to resolve their demands.
The resident doctors at medical colleges in Jaipur, Ajmer, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Udaipur and Kota are on strike. Resident doctors in Jodhpur and Ajmer had gone on strike on Wednesday evening while the others went on strike from Thursday 2 pm.
Jaipur Association of Resident Doctors (JARD) joint secretary Dr Mukesh Mahla said, “Around 2,500 resident doctors (six medical colleges) have gone on strike in support of in-service doctors.”
The strike of in-service doctors had affected services at primary, community health centres, subdivisional hospitals and district hospitals in the state and patients were coming to hospitals attached to medical colleges for treatment. Now, with the resident doctors joining the strike, the situation has worsened.
The health department has made alternative arrangements at Central Government Health Scheme dispensaries, railway hospital, BSF hospital, private hospital empanelled with Bhamashah Swasthya Bima Yojana and other private hospitals. Doctors, who were appointed for the new seven government colleges, are taking care of medical arrangements at various hospitals. Along with doctors with Ayush, Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram, non-communicable disease are treating patients at various health facilities.
Meanwhile, Rajasthan Ayush Chikitsak Mahasangh co-convener Dr Indra Kumar Jain said that Ayush doctors have been deployed at hospitals according to government orders.
Out of 10,000 in-service doctors in the state, the health department has said that 7193 in-service doctors are absent/strike.
: A PIL was filed in the Rajasthan high court on Thursday against the state government and the striking in-service doctors seeking disciplinary action against them and their dismissal from service.
The PIL was filed by advocate Dr Abhinav Sharma against the state government, principal secretary of the home department, director general of police, chief medical and health officer Churu, Dr Ajay Choudhary, in-service medical officer Dr Durgashanker Saini, Rajasthan State Medical Council and ACMM No. 11 Jaipur Metropolitan.
“Through the PIL we want to highlight the hardships being caused by the striking doctors to the general public for their own vested interest. The demands of the doctors are self-centric and personal in nature and have no bearing on patient welfare,” Abhinav said.
A division bench headed by justice KS Jhaveri listed the matter for hearing on Friday.
“The court said that a copy of the PIL be served to the advocate general and directed that he come prepared for hearing as the court will take cognizance against the striking doctors,” said Abhinav.
The PIL sought a direction by the court that the strike of the in-service doctors — called by Dr Ajay Choudhary, Dr Durgashanker Saini and in-service medical officer —be held unconstitutional and illegal.
Abhinav said that the strike called by the doctors is in violation of a high court order given in 2012 which stated that doctors cannot resort to measures like strikes to sort out their issues with the government.
Abhinav along with fellow advocate Anand Sharma had also filed a complaint to the State Human Rights Commission. The commission chairman, Prakash Tatia, had passed an order on November 6 directing the agitating in-service doctors to immediately rejoin service. But the doctors had defied it, said Abhinav.
The PIL sought that the State Medical Council strike off names from the rolls of those agitating doctors who are absenting themselves from duties and the trial in charge-sheet and FIR dating to 2012 against Dr Choudhary and others be proceeded and concluded within a period of three months.
Sharma said he has attached copies of the chargesheet and FIR filed against Dr Choudhary for leading a strike in 2011. Also attached were copies of orders dismissing 12 other doctors who had joined in the 2011 strike.
The PIL urged the court to direct the state government to launch disciplinary action against the doctors and those booked under the Rajasthan Essential Services Maintenance Act, 1970 and who are dismissed on account of insubordination and indiscipline or, dereliction of duty should not be reinstated.
JAIPUR The demands of the doctors are selfcentric and personal in nature and have no bearing on patient welfare Ayush doctors have been deployed at hospitals according to government orders
DR INDRA KUMAR JAIN , Rajasthan Ayush Chikitsak Mahasangh coconvener