A number of children suffering from acute encephalitis syndrome left against medical advice from Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) on Thursday after junior doctors proceeded on an indefinite strike.
Around 650 postgraduate doctors of the health hub went on the strike after one of their colleagues was beaten up on Wednesday night by the relatives of a patient. The assaulted medic, Dr Ramanuj, has been admitted to the emergency ward of PMCH with critical injuries to his head.
Sources said the trouble started around 10pm on Wednesday when attendants of 13-year-old Bittu allegedly attacked Dr Ramanuj with chairs and hockey sticks. The boy, suffering from acute encephalitis syndrome, died within half-an-hour of being admitted to the health hub. A large number of junior medics then gathered at the paediatrics ward and started to heckle Bittu’s family members. When senior PMCH administrative officers tried to placate the junior doctors, they were locked up in their offices. The hospital superintendent, deputy superintendent, college principal and head of paediatrics department remained confined to their offices, despite the presence of police personnel on the hospital premises.
On Thursday morning, the emergency, indoor and outdoor services remained crippled because of the strike. Many children suffering from acute encephalitis syndrome were taken away from the hospital by their relatives against medical advice, said paediatrics head of the department Dr Sanjata Roy Chaudhary.
The postgraduate doctors held a meeting around 11am and put forward their demands — adequate security at the hospital, action against those who beat up their colleague, withdrawal of FIR against them and resignation of PMCH superintendent Dr O.P. Chaudhary.
In a meeting with striking junior doctors, PMCH principal Dr N.P. Yadav appealed to them to return to duty. “We are in a process of recruiting about 200 ex-armymen for hospital security. Two persons who allegedly beat up Ramanuj have been arrested. The dead patient’s attendants did not file a case against any junior doctor either. So, there is no reason why they should continue on strike,” Yadav said.
Members of PMCH Junior Doctors’ Association, however, said they would not resume duty till all their demands were met. “This is not the first time that a doctor has been attacked. The superintendent failed to fulfil his duties. We will not resume work till he leaves,” said the association president Dr Rakesh Kumar.
Health minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey said: “The incident that occurred last night (Wednesday) was very unfortunate. Nobody — either the patient’s party or the doctors — should take law in their hands. I request the doctors to resume duty on Friday. If the situation worsens and lives are lost because of the strike, we will take action against the medics.”
