PMCH junior doctors on strike in January 2014 over stipend

Junior doctors of Patna Medical College and Hospital would go on an indefinite strike from Thursday in protest against the failure of police to recover a colleague of theirs.

Around 600 junior doctors of the state’s premier health hub have decided to go on the strike. Their colleague, Kumar Vijay Krishna, has been missing for around a fortnight. There has been no news of him and the junior doctors blame the police for failing to trace him yet.

Krishna, a student of doctor of medicine in the physiology department, is from Patna. He went missing on October 19. Police sources said his motorcycle was found abandoned near Gandhi Setu and his cellphone remain switched off.

The police had launched search operations from October 20 after Krishna’s father lodged a formal complaint with the SK Puri police station.

Sources said officers from the SK Puri police station also visited the health hub on Wednesday for details on the missing doctor. The officers didn’t speak to the other junior doctors though.

The police could not give any news on Krishna on Wednesday too.

Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar, the SK Puri police station house officer, said: “So far we have not got any clue in the case. We are trying our best.”

Rakesh Kumar, the president of Patna Medical College and Hospital Junior Doctors’ Association, said the junior doctors are agitated over the police’s failure to recover their missing fellow.

“The condition of law and order in the state has worsened. If you don’t launch an agitation or protest, the government would not take your matter seriously. In this matter too, we felt that the police was not investigating seriously. Had it been so, they would have recovered our colleague by now. We are forced to call the strike,” said Rakesh, adding that the association has informed Patna Medical College principal S.N. Sinha about the strike over a letter.

Dr Sinha said the college and hospital administration held talks with the junior doctors’ association in an attempt to convince them to call off the strike but they failed.

Members of Indian Medical Association, Bihar, also tried to reason with the junior doctors, but had no success.

“We still hope to convince the junior doctors to call off the strike,” said Dr Sinha.

He, however, claimed that even if the junior doctors went on strike, the hospital services would not be affected.

“We have apprised our senior doctors about the strike call. All of them have been asked to be present in the hospital round the clock,” added Sinha.

But going by past experiences with junior doctors’ strikes, service at the health hub is bound to suffer. The hospital is extremely dependent on the services of the junior doctors, as several posts are vacant.

The junior doctors are available round the clock in the emergency wing to treat close to 1,000 patients every day.