Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) on Wednesday assured the Bombay High Court that henceforth it would not give a call or go on strike anywhere in the state and only hold peaceful demonstrations highlighting their grievances.
A division bench of justice Abhay Oka and justice Prakash Naik directed the state government to enumerate the steps it is taking to ensure safety of resident doctors in public hospitals, as incidents of attacks on doctors are recurring. Acting advocate general Rohit Deo informed the court that following an audit carried out in 14 public hospitals, an additional 896 security guards will be recruited and posted in hospitals.
The bench said: "With large number of people entering hospitals, posting additional security guards will not be sufficient as the agitators not only assault doctors but also destroy public property."
Deo then informed the court that a proposal to put up CCTV cameras inside corridors is also being considered and the government is willing to look into any suggestions forwarded by MARD.
MARD gave the assurance to the court of not going on strike during the hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by activist Afak Mandaviya. Recently, the doctors had gone on strike at the state-run JJ Hospital after raising allegations of mental harassment against the dean of the hospital. It was only after being reprimanded by the high court that MARD withdrew its seven-day strike.
According to the petition, around 400 doctors were on strike, demanding suspension of dean Dr TP Lahane for no valid reason, and that the strike landed poor patients in grave difficulty. Furthermore, eight patients have died for want of proper treatment during the strike period. The court had then ordered the constitution of a seven-member committee to hear the grievances of MARD including those against the dean. The petition will now come up for hearing in June.
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