Doctors across Rajasthan call off strike as govt provides security

The mass leave declared by resident doctors after a brawl in Bikaner had, by Tuesday, spread across the state like wild fire, scorching in its wake the healthcare facilities in Bikaner, Jodhpur, Ajmer, Udaipur and Jaipur, with the critically ill being the worst hit.

Probably realizing that none are losers in this battle other than the common man, the state government on Wednesday gave a nod for increasing  security in emergency departments of government-run hospitals which are also attached to medical colleges.

Following this development, the resident doctors agreed to return to work from Wednesday mignight. And with this, locals in Bikaner, who were on a fast unto death, ended their hunger strike, which was joined by large number of youths and local politicians as well.

Dr Subhash Nepalia, principal of SMS Medical College, told dna that instructions to ensure adequate security of doctors have been sent to all the medical colleges heads across the state.

As representative of the district collector, Ramnivas Meena met with the protesting doctors in Jaipur on Wednesday. He assured them that there would be fair probe in the PBM Hospital clash between doctors and patient’s relatives.

Though, there remained a visible lapse in the functioning of emergency as well as Out Patient Department (OPD) and In Patient Department (IPD) services, doctors claimed that the hospitals’ services to the patients had become completely normal.

However, as compared to Tuesday, there were lesser number of patients queueing up at SMS Hospital on Wednesday. However, those patients who were admitted continued to suffer in the absence of doctors across Rajasthan.