OPD services paralysed in Jharkhand
DOCTORS’ 24-HOUR STIR Agitating medicos demand special protection law
DHANBAD:The 24-hour-long work boycott call of Indian Medical Association (IMA) left thousands of patients Jharkhand in the lurch on Monday as doctors stayed away from OPD at private nursing homes and government hospitals, including medical colleges across the state.
The epicentre of doctors’ agitation was at Rajendra Institute of Medical Science (RIMS) in Ranchi, the biggest state-run hospital in the state. Thousands of doctors, including interns and junior doctors, led by former IMA national vice-president Dr Ajay Kumar Singh, state secretary Dr Pradeep Kumar Singh, Ranchi chapter secretary Dr Shyam Sidana and Dr Ajit Kumar assembled at RIMS at 8.45 am and got OPD services closed.
Agitating doctors held massive demonstration and staged at sit-in before RIMS superintendent chamber till 1.45 pm in support of Bengal doctors and demanded legislation of Central Medical Protection Act in country.
Besides RIMS, OPD services were badly affected at Ranchi Sadar hospital, 13 community health centres (CHC) and 155 private nursing homes. In Jamshedpur too, Sadar hospital, nine CHC and 179 nursing homes were closed.
In Dhanbad, OPD did not run at eight CHCs and 238 private nursing homes . Though patients had turned up, but doctors did not sit in OPD.
Patients in remaining 21 districts hospitals of state including Dumka, Palamu, Deoghar and Hazaribagh also faced similar harassment.
“It was total bandh in state. It is unfortunate that chief minister
DOCTORS HELD MASSIVE DEMONSTRATION AND STAGED AT SIT-IN BEFORE RIMS SUPERINTENDENT CHAMBER IN SUPPORT OF BENGAL DOCTORS
Raghubar Das is not serious with safety of doctors and waiting for an incident to occur. We hope he would act for safety of medicos,” said Dr A K Singh, IMA state president.
IMA national body had called for a boycott of health services from 6 am of Monday to 6 am of Tuesday in support of Bengal junior doctor.
At PMCH in Dhanbad, where on average 2,400 to 2,500 patients turn up OPD every day, the facility did not open. Hospital officials said 455 patients got registered for different wards till 9 am but agitating doctors stopped registration entry process.
Patients who had been camping in hospital OPD were at their wits’ end.
A patient, Rakhatri Devi (50), had come to get checked from Ahilyapur village under Gandey block of Giridih district around 65 km away but returned untreated.
“I came around 8 am and got registration done but hospital staff did not inform me about strike and waste my time and money,” she said.
Viswanath Mandal (62) of Salpathra village of Baliapur block had come to the hospital limping due to knee pain but had to return unattended. However, PMCH superintendent Dr H K Singh said OPD patients did not suffer as serious of them were attended at emergency.