Mumbai: Doctors and medical students protest against the alleged rape and murder of a junior doctor at a Kolkata hospital, Sir JJ Hospital in Mumbai. (Photo: PTI)
The indefinite strike by doctors in Maharashtra intensified for the fourth day on Friday, with their seniors also joining the protest, disrupting services in government and public hospitals and inconveniencing thousands of patients in the state.
Dr Pratik Debaje, president of the Maharashtra State Association of Residential Doctors (Central-MARD), told PTI that 6,000-7,000 senior medical interns affiliated with the Maharashtra Association of Bonded Resident Doctors (MABRD) and the Association of State Medical Interns (ASMI) had joined the strike on Friday.
According to Debaje, there are currently 17,000-18,000 (residential) doctors on strike in Maharashtra.
Doctors in the state began an indefinite strike on Tuesday morning to express solidarity with the nationwide protests against the rape and murder of a doctoral student at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata last week.
The general practitioners’ strike is in its fourth day, but elective care services such as outpatient clinics, occupational therapists and laboratory procedures continue to be affected, causing inconvenience to thousands of patients in Mumbai and other parts of the state.
However, emergency services are continuing unabated, authorities said.
The Central MARD demands an impartial and transparent inquiry into the Kolkata incident, early constitution of an expert committee for implementation of the Central Healthcare Protection Act, enhanced security measures including fully functional CCTVs and well-equipped guards, quality hostels and decent call rooms for junior doctors.
Debaje said that the junior doctors at JJ Hospital in Mumbai and other major hospital campuses are peacefully protesting against their demands but they have planned a sit-in at Azad Maidan in the Fort area later in the day. A large number of junior doctors are likely to join the protest on the ground.
On Wednesday, MABRD announced its support for the general practitioners’ strike and threatened to intensify the strike from August 16 if their demands were not met.
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First publication: Aug 16, 2024 | 2:22 PM IST