Maharashtra Doctors Strike - All You Need To Know

Why are the junior doctors in Maharashtra on a strike?

Around 4000 protesting doctors from the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) are asking the state government to ramp up the security to shelter them against the rising violence against them by relatives of the patients, provide safeguard against attacks in government hospitals and enforce stricter implementation of the Doctor’s protection Act. Around 40,000 doctors from the private sector have also joined the strike with the resident doctors. It has impacted medical services in about 40 hospitals across the city. The entire issue has its genesis in the kind of attacks doctors had to face at the hands of the disgruntled relatives of patients. Even as the strike goes on, a lady doctor in a hospital in Sion was attacked on Thursday whereas a doctor in Dhule government hospital was attacked by relatives of a patient and blinded in one eye.

Even the Indian Medical Association has extended support to the strike as attacks on doctors have often resulted in serious injuries. Doctors have said, that in last year alone there have been over 50 cases of attacks on doctors with the government doing nothing.

What is the government’s response to the strike?

On March 22, 2017, Maharashtra Education Minister Girish Mahajan in a salvo against the strike declared that if the doctors didn’t get back to work by 8 pm on that day, then six months’ salary of the doctors will deducted by the State. He also said that the government will provide 1,100 guards within a month for their safety. Not only this even a show cause notice has been issued by civic body Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to around 1200 protesting doctors with an ultimatum that they may be debarred if they do not return work as early as possible. Even the Dean of Government of Medical College in Nagpur in a bid to deter the strike, has suspended over 300 of its resident doctors as the strike continued.

The day when the strike began (March 20), Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar stated that BMC along with the Director General of Police would provide 400 armed police personnel to civic hospitals from Saturday which will be increased to 700 by April 1. BMC has also accepted the demands of allowing two relatives per patient in the hospital and were soon installing alarm system in hospital to alert security guards.

What is the Bombay High Court’s stand in this issue?

Describing the strike as “public anarchy”, the Bombay HC on Tuesday March 21,2017 came down heavily on the protesting resident doctors at the government-run-hospitals across Maharashtra. The court noted that it was taking a toll on the health of the patients. The court was hearing a PIL filed by activist Afak Mandaviya who was seeking action against the doctors on strike. A division bench of Justice Manjula Chellur and Justice GS Kulkarni observed that the “behavior of the doctors was shameful.” “It is shame on the profession if doctors go on strike like factory men; then they are unfit to be doctors," the bench remarked. The court also expressed surprise that how junior resident doctors were the one who were feeling unsafe whereas the senior ones did not have any threat. The court is going to hear the plea of the doctors today and is expected to take a call.

How did the doctors respond to the court and the government?

The protesting doctors continued to defy the court rap and around 3000 resident doctors continued their mass casual leave. It was also reported that the resident doctors had even defied the government’s directive to resume duty and said that the government can deduct even 12 months’ salary but safety has to be provided to the ones protesting.

How has the strike impacted the medical services in the state?

The state is facing an emergency health crisis scenario. The state government has informed the Bombay HC that medical services in Maharashtra were paralyzed because 60 percent of the resident doctors across the state went on strike.

Most of the patients who cannot afford expensive private hospitals are lining up government hospitals across the state waiting to be treated. Many of the patients are suffering from life threatening diseases and with only senior doctors available, there is a severe crunch of immediate treatment.

The most affected units in the state have been the emergency health services, including taking care of accident patients, surgeries and providing post-operative care to those admitted in various hospitals and OPDs.

Is the strike spreading to other states?

Resident doctors from around 40 government hospitals, including Ram Manohar Lohia, Lady Hardinge Medical College, Safdarjung Hospital did not attend work in support for the MARD. Even doctors at AIIMS extended support by wearing helmets at work. On Friday Delhi will witness strike of doctors even from Private hospitals. Sir Ganga Ram hospital on Thursday said, that extending support to the protesting doctors in Maharashtra, their OPD services will not be available on Friday.

Apart from Delhi, even junior doctors from the Guwahati Medical College Hospital, extended support to their colleagues in Maharashtra by wearing helmets in the hospital

Maharashtra Doctors Withdraw Mass Leave Agitation

In a late night development, the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) on Thursday March 23,2017 urged all resident medicos to call off their four-day-long mass CL agitation immediately. The MARD said the Bombay High Court had taken a very sympathetic view of the doctors concerns about physical security and related issues, which it would monitor every 15 days. In view of the same and high court orders, MARD requested all doctors to resume work immediately, MARD President Yashowardhan Kabra said in a statement.

Hospitals expect doctors to resume normal duties from Friday morning March 24,2017

Earlier in the day, the high court directed the government and hospital administrations to provide at least 500 security guards in these state hospitals, including four in Mumbai, by April 5 and the remaining 600 by April 15.

The court said it will monitor the issue of security of medicos at their workplaces at regular intervals and posted the public interest litigation for hearing after a fortnight.

"We are awaiting a certified copy of the court orders; we will decide when to resume duties after studying it," a member of the MARD had said.

Both MARD and Indian Medical Association (IMA) welcomed the high court ruling but pointed out that the ground realities have not yet changed.

MARD, whose around 4,000 members were on mass casual leave since Monday in all public hospitals, also filed an affidavit to say the resident doctors were prepared to work but the government and hospital administrations should assure them of safety and security.

Making his first comments on the issue, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had on Thursday March 23,2017 appealed to all doctors and organisations like MARD and IMA to withdraw their protest and assured better security and law enforcement.