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Patients bear brunt of doctors' mass bunk

A majority of resident doctors went on a mass casual leave on Monday to protest at least five incidents of assault on their colleagues across the state in the past several days.

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Abha Devi was turned away when she visited Sion Hospital for a check-up
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Seven months pregnant and with an energetic two-year-old in tow, Abha Devi, 30, was turned away when she visited Sion Hospital for a check-up on Monday. Similarly, Zainab Khan, 18, who visited the same hospital seeking medical care for a headache and an eye problem after appearing for her class 10 exam, was forced to return home. Both these women faced the brunt of a doctors' strike across Maharashtra's public hospitals, bringing all emergency services to a standstill.

A majority of resident doctors went on a mass casual leave on Monday to protest at least five incidents of assault on their colleagues across the state in the past several days. At King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital, 126 surgeries had to be postponed, while 102 surgeries and 22 surgeries had to be rescheduled at Sion Hospital and the state-run JJ Hospital, respectively.

BR Sarvaiya, who rushed his 74-year-old cousin to Sion Hospital after the latter complained of chest pain, said: "We brought him in an ambulance from Dombivli, but have been forced to take him back home." As the day progressed, operations smoothed out at KEM Hospital. Heads of departments and professors filled in for the resident doctors, ensuring that medical services were not interrupted. A senior nurse, on condition of anonymity, said, "We have accommodated 25 patients in places where only five can be accommodated. The resident doctors sometimes work 24-hour shifts at a stretch. Patients can't behave in this manner with them."

Central MARD president Dr Yashowardhan Kabra weighed in on the matter, saying, "We did not call for a strike, but several resident doctors decided to take a mass leave as they want the government to increase security for doctors in all public hospitals". Although a number of medical representatives met with Mumbai Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar and BMC Additional Municipal Commissioner IA Kundan to discuss the issue on Monday afternoon,no written assurances were given. "We were told that additional security forces would be deployed and CCTV cameras installed. With nothing concrete being done, the resident doctors on leave might not return till they see visible changes," Kabra added.

However, after a late night meeting with the Maharashtra's Principal Secretary and the head of the Directorate of Medical Education, resident doctors were assured additional security and a legal cell to address their concerns.

Timeline

March 12: Senior orthopaedic resident Dr Rohan Mamunkar was beaten up by relatives of a patient with a head injury. The doctor suffered damage to one of his eyes, and is being treated at Jupiter Hospital in Thane
March 18: Rohit Kumar Jain, a first-year resident doctor, was beaten up when he announced the death of a patient to kin.
March 19: An intern working at the Government Medical College, Aurangabad, was assaulted by a patient's relatives when he intervened to resolve a fight between a resident doctor and the kin.
March 20: An FIR was registered after a resident doctor was beaten in Malur in Karnataka's Kolar district. The doctor lost a few teeth and sustained a fracture in his collarbone

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