Showing no sign of relenting, resident doctors from across the state carried their agitation through its sixth day on Tuesday.
Showing no sign of relenting, resident doctors from across the state carried their agitation through its sixth day on Tuesday even as the state government continued terminating the services of more doctors. By Tuesday, the number of resident doctors sacked from all over the state rose to 600. By Monday, a total of 123 doctors had been sacked.
Around 1,800 resident doctors, along with members of the Gujarat Association of Resident Doctors (GARD), took out a rally from Gh-2 to Pathik Ashram in Gandhinagar and submitted a memorandum to the office of the chief minister, the health secretary and finance minister.
"The rally was taken out to let the state know that we are united. Though the government has terminated the services of our comrades, we will continue our agitation till the government accepts our demands," a member of GARD said. Health secretary Ravi Saxena said the government would consider taking them back if the resident doctors returned to work immediately. "We do not want to ruin their careers and are still open to discussions.
However, their demands and approach are wrong. They will only see failure by these means. We may take them back if they end the strike and return to work," Saxena said.
Meanwhile, the parallel outpatient department run on the premises of the civil hospital at Asarwa by the striking doctors was discontinued on Tuesday, after they were allegedly asked to do so. On the second day of this free OPD, the resident doctors were not available to serve patients arriving there for this reason.
"We have neither allowed them to run the OPD nor have asked them to close it. They are making false statements to overshadow their mistakes," said Dr MM Anchalia, superintendent of the civil hospital.
She said that to carry out any activity within the campus, the resident doctors need to seek written permission from the hospital authorities, which they had not done.
Meanwhile, patients arriving at the hospital were unable to avail of proper and timely treatment. A 22-year-old woman, Bhavna Prajapati, had been lying unconscious at the trauma ward, but there had been no doctors to assist her family in carrying her by stretcher to the OPD. She was finally taken in an autorickshaw to the OPD ward for treatment.
Her husband, Rambhai, said that he had called the 108 emergency services
to take her to the hospital. "She was in a critical condition and needed proper and immediate medical assistance," he said.
Docs asked to leave campus, hostel rooms sealed
Authorities served termination notices to 63 more doctors of Government Medical College of Surat on Tuesday. All of them were asked to leave the college campus within 24 hours. Junior Resident Doctors Association president Mukesh Singh and secretary Pradeep Solanki were sacked. On Monday, 22 doctors had been issued termination notices.
Authorities of SMIMER College also issued show-cause notices to 47 students, who had not reported to duty. SMIMER is a self-financed college. Its students do not get stipend but still they were on strike In Vadodara, officials sacked 93 first-year residents and sealed their hostel rooms. Second and third year residents were given notices. However, the interns who were also on strike to support the residents joined duty on Tuesday.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}