Doctors go on strike, health services hit
: Health services were badly affected across the state, especially in rural areas, with doctors at state-run health centres went on an indefinite strike from Monday demanding that 12 doctors transferred after last month’s strike be reinstated.
At Jaipur’s Sawai Man Singh Hospital, around 2,000 resident and senior resident doctors went on the strike from 8 am.
Similarly, at Jawahar Lal Nehru hospital in Ajmer, patients had to wait for hours for their turn on Monday as resident doctors did not turn up.
Not a single doctor reported on duty at the city’s satellite hospital despite police arresting All Rajasthan In-Service Doctors Association (ARISDA) office bearers and releasing them after taking undertaking that they will not join the strike.
Emergency ward of the hospital wore a deserted look. Patients were forced to go to private hospitals for treatment.
“Government is solely responsible for the present impasse, they have pushed us to take to this harsh step,” said Rajendra Singh Lamror, the president of Resident Doctors Association Ajmer.
“By taking coercive measures like arresting office bearers of ARISDA and warnings by the health minister that stern action will be taken against doctors under RESMA has further aggravated the problem,” he said.
SMS hospital medical superintendent Dr DS Meena said: “Looking to resident and senior resident doctors going on strike, alternative arrangements have been made. Medical college teachers have been put on duty to attend patients.”
JLN Hospital medical superintendent Dr Anil Jain said measures have been taken to negate the effect of resident doctors strike. “Senior doctors have been asked to take care of emergency and outpatient department,” he added.
Mass casual leave of the
JAIPUR
in-service doctors has impacted the health services at government health centres, including primary health centres (PHC) and community health centers (CHC) in Kota district.
The in-service doctors are posted usually at dispensaries, CHC and PHC instead of government hospitals, so more patients were seen at the government hospitals of Kota. Kota’s deputy chief medical and health officer Dr Ramjilal said Ayurveda doctors were deputed as alternative arrangements in the government health centres.
At Kota Medical College, senior resident doctors also joined the strike in support of in-service doctors but resident doctors have not joined them.
ARISDA general secretary Dr Durgashankar Saini said in-service doctors do not want to trouble patients but the state government has tried to suppress the in-service doctors through arresting doctors under Rajasthan Essential Services Management Act (RESMA).
He claimed that more than 8,000 in-service doctors and 5,000 resident and senior resident doctors of government medical colleges have boycotted the work over implementation of demands and protesting against suppressive act of the government on doctors.
In Bharatpur, doctors did not join the strike and attended the patients at all health facilities across the district. Similarly, at Jaipuria hospital in Jaipur, the in-service doctors were on duty.
In Jodhpur, resident doctors went on strike. Medical college teachers were put on duty to attend patients. According to a health department official, there was mixed response in rural areas in the district as many doctors scared of government action were on duty.
Jaipur Association of Resident Doctors joint secretary Dr Mukesh Mahla said around 5,000 resident and senior resident doctors across all the government medical colleges in the state joined the indefinite strike.