Patna: The junior doctors (postgraduate students) of Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH) officially went on strike on Monday to press their demands.
They are seeking immediate registration of an FIR against patients' attendants who assaulted doctors on duty on Friday afternoon, installation of a grill in front of the labour room, barricading of central emergency, neonatal intensive care unit and labour room and more.
According to NMCH superintendent Dr Chandrashekhar, the doctors were on an undeclared strike since Saturday, refusing to provide services in the hospital's outpatient (OPD), indoor department and emergency. They were, however, marking their attendance.
Among other conditions the junior doctors have set before the hospital administration before calling off the strike are availability of basic and emergency amenities in all emergency departments, like gloves, emergency medicines, cotton, gauze and instruments, installation of metal detectors and scanners in all emergency entry points and installation of CCTV in the corridors of the labour room and appointment of quality security guards among others.
The junior doctors are also demanding hostels equipped with all necessary facilities and told the administration they will not resume duty unless these demands are fulfilled.
NMCH superintendent Chandrashekhar claimed most of the demands, which the junior doctors had put up before the administration, had already been fulfilled while the rest would be fulfilled by September 15. "Earlier also the junior doctors had gone on strike and put up similar demands. The principal secretary, health, Sanjay Kumar, had set a one-month deadline within which to fulfil the demand. We have lodged an FIR at Alamganj police station against unnamed people for Friday's incident. It is now up to the police to investigate the matter and take necessary action. The work of installation of grills and barricades outside the central emergency is in progress. However, the demand of installing metal detectors is impractical. It is not going to be fulfilled," he said.
A junior doctor of NMCH said the medics were angry because they had asked the administration to name in the FIR those who assaulted doctors but instead of that an FIR was lodged against anonymous people and they felt cheated.
NMCH superintendent Dr Chandrashekhar, on the other hand, said some senior doctors were misleading junior doctors as they were angry with the administration because the noose was tightened against them for coming late to the hospital and other irregularities.
Patients and their attendants at NMCH said they were suffering. "Despite junior doctors going on strike, the hospital administration has not requested authorities concerned to provide additional doctors from other facilities so that the crisis can be resolved. The various departments are somehow being managed by senior doctors. Many patients are not getting medical assistance on time because of the strike called by junior doctors," said Mohan Sahay, a patient's attendant in the emergency wing of the hospital.
Health department sources said the NMCH administration had been directed to resolve the matter on its own.