Junior doctors of Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital have called an indefinite strike following a clash with some people over a baby’s death late on Tuesday night.
According to sources, the six-month-old baby was brought to the hospital’s emergency ward from the Basaha area of the district. Two junior doctors on duty administered her an injection but she died soon after, enraging relatives of the baby. The doctors— Rajesh and Brajesh — were beaten up.
The Junior Doctors’ Association (JDA), with over 450 members, sent letters to hospital superintendent Suraj Nayak and medical college principal S.N. Sinha on Wednesday morning saying they would boycott work till foolproof security arrangement was made available.
The JDA president, Amit Kumar, said: “How can we continue working in an atmosphere where we are always threatened by outsiders? Two-three doctors were beaten up on Tuesday night without any reason. We raised our voice several times, demanding tight security, enquiry centre at the health hub, emergency drugs, a critical ward and chief medical officer on 24x7 duty so that proper treatment can be provided. We had boycotted work a month ago but resumed after getting assurance that our demands will be met but it never happened. The hospital administration gives us such assurances every time but no action is taken.”
Medical superintendent Nayak said: “Around 1,500-2,000 patients visit the hospital everyday. In such a situation, the boycott has certainly affected health services at the hospital, increasing the workload on senior residents. A month ago, too, they had boycotted work to press for security. The police deployed a team here but it was withdrawn soon after. After Tuesday night’s incident, a police team is back on duty. I have called a meeting of heads of departments after which we will decide how to get junior doctors back to work.”
Sources said no patient faced any inconvenience on the first day of the strike.
Bhuwan Jee Jha, a junior doctor, said: “The actual impact of our boycott will be felt by Thursday.”
