Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Medical services remained paralyzed for the third consecutive day at Hamidia Hospital as the Junior Doctors Association (JUDA) continued with their strike in Gandhi Medical College (GMC) on Thursday.
Many OPD patients coming to the government-run medical facility failed to get any medical services, while many medical procedures and operations have been postponed as the doctors did not report to work.
According to information, about 40 operations were deferred on Thursday due to the strike of junior doctors who are demanding justice for Dr Saraswathi, the PG student who had taken her life injecting anaesthesia on intervening on Sunday night over the alleged stressful working conditions and extension of her PG course over thesis.
On Thursday, a woman in labour pain, who had come from Karond to Hamidia Hospital, was not attended to due to junior doctors' strike. Shailendra Chauhan had brought his pregnant wife Ruchika from Shanti Nagar Karond on Thursday afternoon as the doctors at Hamidia were monitoring her pregnancy since the very beginning.
The woman was in labour pain but the staff at the hospital told family that they cannot take the case as junior doctors were on strike. The family had to take the woman to a private hospital.
Even as the HoD Obstetrics and gynaecology Dr Aruna Kumar has been removed from the post, the JUDA continued with their strike demanding suspension of all the three teachers—Dr Aruna Kumar, Dr Pallavi Singh and Dr Rekha Vadhwani—accusing them of harassing students.
JUDA spokesperson Dr Kuldeep Gupta said that they do not want strike to go ahead or patients to suffer. More than 40 operations are being postponed daily and the patients are leaving unattended. The JUDA members said that Dr Aruna Kumar, though removed from post, will remain in the department.
JUDA is demanding that till the probe into the suicide of Dr Bala Saraswathi is underway, these teachers should be shifted from GMC. “Dr. Aruna Kumar did not resign, she was removed from the post.
She enjoys a lot of influence. If she remains here, the resident doctors will remain under fear and pressure and so she should be shifted,” Gupta said. Earlier, JUDA took out a march seeking justice for Dr Bala Saraswathi.
Senior Docs Attending To Patients: GMC Dean
GMC Dean Dr Arvind Rai said, “No patient returned unattended. Senior doctors are examining the patients. No such case of patients made to leave without diagnoses or treatment has come to my notice.”
