However, hospital hardens stand, threatens to suspend more students; strike enters second day.
Fed up with the alleged rise in the number of attacks on resident doctors, over 600 junior doctors of Civil Hospital on Sunday continued to stay away from work to press for their demand of better security and implementation of the Doctors Protection Act.
Dr MM Prabhakar, superintendent of Civil Hospital, threatened to suspend more students and vacate them from the hostel if they did not end their strike
Dr Hiren Patel, president of the Junior Doctors Association, said that some 11 states across the country had implemented the Act. "There has been 30% to 50% reduction in attacks on doctors in states where this Act has been implemented," he claimed. He said that the doctors wanted in writing a fixed time period within which the government would implement the Act
The resident doctors had gone on an indefinite strike after one Dr Nitin Chaudhary was allegedly attacked by the relatives of a 32-year-old Shehnaz Mansoori, who died during treatment. Cross-complaints were registered in the matter.
Meanwhile, patients at Civil Hospital continued to bear the brunt of the strike as the administration pressed into service doctors from other hospitals as well. Several patients complained that there wasn't anybody to attend to them. "My mother has come here with a head injury and we have been waiting for two hours but no doctor has attended to us so far," said the son of Suryaben, a patient from Narol.
Dr Prabhakar said the demands of the doctors had already been met and the strike was unreasonable.
"They wanted security and we have increased the number of security personnel at critical points like trauma centre and labour ward. Another 42 personnel have been added to the overall number of security personnel at the hospital," he said.
About the implementation of the Act, he said it is ridiculous to ask for a time-frame because implementation of an Act takes time. "How long have people been fighting for implementation of the Women's Reservation Bill?" he asked. "These things take time and you can't put a time period on it," he said.
"If they continue with the strike, we will suspend more students. We will also ask them to vacate hostels if they continue to stay away from work," said Dr Prabhakar.
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