Kolkata rape-murder: Maharashtra resident doctors decide to continue their indefinite strike

Mumbai, Aug 19 (PTI) Resident doctors in Maharashtra said on Monday they would continue their strike against the alleged rape-murder of a postgraduate trainee medic in Kolkata and to press for the implementation of the Central Healthcare Protection Act and their other demands.

The strike has hit patient services, with only 18 major and 61 minor surgeries performed at five big civic-run hospitals in the city during the day.

Dr Pratik Debaje, president of the Maharashtra State Association of Residential Doctors (Central-MARD), told PTI that a meeting of the representatives of the resident doctors’ national body with the Union health secretary did not prove fruitful. Hence, they were firm on continuing their strike, he said.

“As no positive response was received in the meeting and since they are not ready to give any written assurance, our agitation will continue,” Debaje said, hoping some directive in favour of them will come from the Supreme Court, which has taken suo motu cognisance of the Kolkata incident.

The Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD), which has been leading the strike since August 13, said that further decisions about the agitation will be made based on the top court’s directive. The SC will hear the matter on Tuesday.

Debaje said the protesting resident doctors across Maharashtra on Monday tied rakhis to government officials, college administrators, police, security personnel, nurses, and healthcare workers on the occasion of Rakshabandhan.

“By tying rakhis, we tried to give a message to the public that we will protect each other if the Union government fails to do so,” Debaje said.

Resident doctors in the state have been on strike since August 13 to express solidarity with their counterparts from other cities demonstrating against the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9 and for fulfilment of their other demands.

The indefinite strike has impacted healthcare services in Mumbai, leaving patients stranded and surgeries postponed. The number of patients treated at OPDs and casualty wards also decreased compared to the previous week, said sources from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

As per BMC data, only 18 major and 61 minor surgeries were performed in civic-run KEM, Nair, Cooper, and NHDC hospitals on Monday.

Not even a single surgery was performed at Sion hospital, where resident doctors took part in a protest march inside the premises to protest the assault on a female doctor last week.

As many as 515 patients were treated at the casualty OPDs of KEM, Nair, Cooper, Sion, and NHDC hospitals on Monday, while 5,145 old (follow-up) and new patients were treated at regular OPDs during the day, as per the BMC data. PTI KK NR