Shameful on your part to go on strike, HC tells docs

“It is a shame on the profession. If doctors go on strike like factory men, then you are unfit to be doctors,” the Bombay High Court observed on Tuesday, while directing the management of hospitals and the state government to take disciplinary action against the striking doctors. It also said that if need be, contempt proceedings should be started against those resident doctors who are on strike.

A division bench of Chief Justice Manjula Chellur and Justice G S Kulkarni posted the hearing of a public interest litigation filed by Afaq Mandaviya for Wednesday. The petition seeks directions to the resident doctors to withdraw their strike, as it is causing severe hardships to poor patients who cannot afford to visit private hospitals.

The bench said, “If regular doctors of the hospital are working regularly, then how can the resident doctors fear for their safety, let them resign from their work. You (resident doctors) want to get salary and other benefits but will not work.”

The bench also came down heavily on patients’ relatives who attack doctors. It said,“Will the dead person’s life come back if they kill the doctor, why this public anarchy? It’s only madness.”

The bench added,“There can be some cases of negligence by doctors, mistakes may occur due to allergy, reactions, but every case cannot be negligence. Relatives of patients cannot take the extreme steps, always.”