Govt assures High Court about security of doctors

The Maharashtra government and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Monday assured Bombay High Court that it would take all possible steps to ensure safety and security of the thousands of resident doctors across the state.

This comes after a Division Bench headed by the Chief Justice of the HC was informed that several hospitals including the citybased Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College and Hospital (Sion hospital) have failed to implement the “two relatives per patient” rule.

The bench was hearing a PIL filed by activist Afak Mandaviya highlighting the issue of frequent strikes called by doctors.

In March this year, nearly 4,000 resident doctors working in the government and civic-run hospitals had gone on strike, paralysing entire medical services across the state. They had called the strike due to a series of attacks on the resident doctors in different hospitals in Dhule and Mumbai.

Earlier, the Bench directed the government as well as the civic bodies to ensure that only two relatives per patient are allowed inside the hospital at a time.

On Monday, the advocate appearing for the doctors informed the Bench that the civic body has failed to implement its earlier directions.

Assuring the Bench, advocate SS Pakale said BMC would take all possible steps to ensure safety of doctors.

Meanwhile, the Bench suggested the government to consider constituting a High Power Committee (HPC) that can look into all the grievances of the doctors.

To this, the advocate appearing for the government, informed the Bench that already a Committee under Praveen Dixit, former Director General of Police (DGP), was looking into the security issues of doctors.

The Bench, however, was of the view that there must be a sole HPC that can look into all the grievances of the doctors.

The matter has been posted for further hearing in June.