JJ Dermatology Residents Meet Minister To Highlight Concerns

The protesting resident doctors of Mumbai’s JJ Hospital’s Dermatology Department met Maharashtra’s Medical Education Minister Hasan Mushrif on Tuesday at the Mantralaya to highlight their demands. The resident doctors of the department have been agitating against the Head of Department (HOD) Dr Mahendra Kura accusing him of mentally harassing them.

The doctors decided to meet the minister after the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) complained on Saturday that there had been no progress on the complaint even after 15 days of filing the complaint with the Dean of JJ Hospital, Dr Pallavi Saple.

“It has now been 15 days since the filing of the complaint and 6 days into their mass leave, yet a resolution remains elusive. Despite initial promises, the formation of the committee was delayed, and as of now, no tangible results have emerged”, the MARD had said in a press statement.

Minister assured resident doctors of a proper probe

A resident of the department who didn’t want to be named informed The Free Press Journal (FPJ) that Mushrif has assured the doctors of a proper probe into the matter and strict action regarding the same. The residents had earlier taken an appointment to highlight all the issues faced by them to the minister after which the latter called them to the Mantralaya.

Following the letter to Dr. Saple, a committee was formed the next day, which included members of the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) Dr Ajay Chandanwale and Dr VP Kale.

Although the committee submitted the inquiry report on Tuesday, Dec 19, its content is still not revealed. As FPJ reported earlier, the residents have expressed concern that committee members are known to Dr Kura, raising suspicions of potential bias in the investigation.

Meanwhile, Dr Saple did not respond to the calls and messages of the FPJ. In the latest statement, the resident doctors have decided to go on an indefinite strike from Dec 28 if Dr Kura is not removed from the hospital.