RESIDENT DOCTORS’ STRIKE, DAY 2: Medical interns could join strike

MUMBAI: The protest by resident doctors in Mumbai entered its second day on Wednesday even as civic- and state-run hospitals such as Nair, KEM, Sion, Cooper and JJ witnessed a slight decrease in patient load compared to the previous day.
According to a statement released by the Association of State Medical Interns (ASMI), interns from Indira Gandhi Government Medical College, Nagpur, have also decided to join the mass leave in solidarity. The action is in response to the recent tragic incident at RG Kar Medical College, where a second-year postgraduate resident doctor was raped and murdered.
“A few medical interns in Mumbai have already joined the resident doctors’ protest. The others have submitted a letter to their institution’s authorities, supporting the protest,” said Dr Mahesh Yelwande, president of ASMI, Maharashtra.
Yelwande said there were around 20,000 to 30,000 medical interns in the state. “There is a possibility of them suspending their services,” he said. “We are here for all the emergency services but we also demand justice and systems to protect doctors.”
Meanwhile, the deans of the four BMC-run colleges met representatives of the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) and held a discussion. “But MARD is still not satisfied with the outcome, and the protest will continue tomorrow as well,” said additional municipal commissioner Abhijit Bangar. “This is not just a BMC matter but also a state government issue with resident doctors from government hospitals participating. Even the state government and medical education department are in discussions on how to resolve the issue.”
An official from KEM Hospital, Parel, said that the hospital authorities had held a discussion with MARD, and local problems such as CCTV, more lighting and duty rooms had been sorted. “But the doctors are waiting for the outcome of the discussions at the all-India level,” he said. “The strike therefore continues.”
At JJ Hospital too, the authorities have begun attending to the doctors’ demands. “Illumination has been sorted,” said dean Dr Pallavi Saple. “The pass system is already in place, and we are making it more stringent. Outsiders will be allowed into wards only after an HOD’s written permission. And while we have nearly 700 CCTVs, we have asked for more.”
Although there was not much of a crowd in the hospitals on Day 2, sonography and ECG facilities continued to remain unavailable except in emergency cases. Arsha Shahid, who visited KEM hospital for the first time with her husband, said, “I wanted to get a sonography done but couldn’t. We had no idea there was a doctors’ protest going on.”
According to an official from JJ Hospital, more than 1,000 resident doctors have suspended their services except for emergencies. “We are managing for now but if the protest continues, even our senior resident doctors can get exhausted,” he said. “This might affect patients. But I also understand as a doctor how important this protest is for all the doctors of this nation. So we all support this and hope the government and the higher authorities resolve the issue soon.”
A patient at JJ Hospital, who did not wish to be identified, said, “We were here around 11.30 am and we are seeing the doctor in 15 minutes. The crowd is way less than usual, perhaps because of the strike.”
According to the report from the hospitals, KEM Hospital recorded 257 patients in Casualty, 90 admissions, 67 major surgeries and 18 minor ones. Sion Hospital had 277 patients in Casualty, 83 admissions, 19 major surgeries and five minor ones. Nair Hospital had 134 patients in Casualty, 78 admissions, four major surgeries and six minor ones. Cooper Hospital had 130 patients in Casualty, 46 admissions, 11 major surgeries and four minor ones.