Coimbatore: Due to the 12-hour nationwide strike announced by the Indian Medical Association (IMA), elective surgeries were cancelled at most of the private and government hospitals on Saturday.
However, with emergency wards and post-operation theatres functioning, and many doctors reporting to duty, there were not many complaints from the public.
IMA office bearers are threatening to intensify the strike if the ‘anti-democratic and anti-poor’ National Medical Commission Bill, 2017 is passed. Many consultants decided not to open clinics till 6pm. Some doctors were available on phones, especially paediatricians, cardiologists and neurologists.
Many hospitals began informing patients, who had been supposed to undergo elective surgeries on Saturday, that their surgery date would either be preponed or postponed since Thursday. “We informed all patients admitted in the hospital that their surgery would either take place before 6am or after 6pm on Saturday or would be postponed for Monday. They could either get discharged and readmitted or stay in the hospital,” said a cardiologist at a private hospital. “We faced no protests,” he added.
