IMA-Jamshedpur threatens to intensify stir as doctor assault protest enters third day

Jamshedpur, Sep 21 (PTI) The Jamshedpur unit of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has said the ongoing strike of resident doctors of government-run MGM Hospital here will continue till the culprits who assaulted a junior doctor on Monday night are arrested.

The strike, in protest against the assault of an on-duty doctor in the children’s PICU ward, entered the third day on Thursday affecting medical services including OPD.

All government and non-government doctors as well as para-medical staff have joined the strike demanding the arrest of the culprits, IMA Jamshedpur Chapter secretary Dr Saurabh Choudhary said.

Medical services in the hospital and private clinics have been affected due to the stir, he said, adding that the emergency ward is functioning.

“We will call off the strike as soon as the culprits, who were clearly visible in CCTV camera footage, are nabbed,” Chaudhary said.

Choudhary said IMA Jharkhand will also join the strike across the state from Friday if the culprits were not apprehended by Thursday night.

Demanding a police picket on the hospital premises to prevent such incidents, Choudhary said it was a long-standing demand of the association but nothing has been done yet.

Choudhary also advocated for the medical protection Bill saying Monday’s incident was not an isolated one.

On Monday, 35-year-old Dr Kamlesh Oraon, a resident of Ranchi, was assaulted by relatives of a four-and-half-year-old girl child who died during treatment.

In the FIR registered with Sakchi police station, Oraon said the girl was admitted in the emergency ward in an unconscious condition on September 18 but her condition deteriorated later in the day.

Sub-divisional officer (Dhalbhum) Piyush Sinha said, “We have registered a case and we will apprehend the culprits soon,” he added.