JJ docs’ ultimatum: first security, then duty

Where to go: A resident doctor at JJ Hospital wearing a black band as a patient looks on outside the hospital on Monday.

Where to go: A resident doctor at JJ Hospital wearing a black band as a patient looks on outside the hospital on Monday.  

Hospital authorities review sensitive areas to realign guards; services take a hit on the third day of strike; nurses may resort to protest

Mumbai: Resident doctors at the State-run JJ Hospital continued the strike for the third consecutive day on Monday demanding better security on the hospital premises.

While the doctors said they will not resume work till they see more guards on duty, hospital authorities attempted to pacify them by conducting a review of sensitive areas where guards can be realigned.

The hospital on Monday admitted only 33 patients till 4 p.m. against the daily average of 150-200, and only 30 surgeries were performed against the daily average of 80.

“We want to see the physical implementation of our demand. They should first deploy more security guards, and only then we will get back to work,” Dr. Sarang Donarkar, president of the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD), said.

After the day-long negotiations, MARD representatives walked around the 45-acre hospital campus with dean Dr. S.D, Nanandkar, director of Directorate of Medical Education and Research Dr. Pravin Shingare, and joint director Dr. T.P. Lahane to review and identify sensitive areas.

At the time of going to press, the State had agreed to deploy 25 more security guards at JJ Hospital by Tuesday morning. Another round of review will be held on Tuesday.

Last year, when the residents doctors went on strike, 30 sensitive areas were marked in the hospital.

“Now they have demanded that the number of areas increase and guards be appointed at each spot,” Dr. Shingare said. The doctors had also demanded an alarm system.

According to Dr. Nanandkar, the hospital has 170 guards. “We will realign their placement based on the review. For example, there is always a central lobby that falls between two or three wards. We will deploy guards in such locations so that they can access the wards immediately,” Dr. Nanandkar said.

In the Saturday’s attack on two resident doctors, a nurse was also roughed up. She had an anxiety attack after the incident. A group of nurses on Monday approached Dr. Nanandkar to intimate that they may protest soon.