More than 12,000 doctors in Bihar to go on 24-hour strike on Monday

PATNA: More than 12,000 doctors across the state who are members of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) would remain on strike from 6am on Monday to 6am on Tuesday in supports of their counterparts in West Bengal whose demands had yet not been completely fulfilled by CM Mamta Banerjee which include arresting of the culprits who had grievously injured two doctors and a central stern law for doctors’ protection.
However, looking at the grevious situation due to AES, paediatric department at Shree Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH), sadar hospital and Krishnadevi Deviprasad Maternity Hospital in Muzaffarpur would be kept separate from the strike.
The IMA members in Bihar had added factors of lack of infrastructure and unavailability of required count of doctors in government hospitals and no action plan from government due to which more than 90 children had died of AES in Muzaffarpur till now as the another major reason behind going on strike.
Doctors under the aegis of Bihar State Health Services Association had also extended their full support to the strike called by IMA.
In a press release, the state health services association has said that the routine work at outpatient departments at hospitals and health centres would be boycotted in support of IMA. However, doctors would remain at work in paediatric department looking at the situation due to AES, emergency services, and post mortem works across state.
IMA’s Bihar chapter president elect Dr Bimal Karak said that a central team of doctors as well as AIIMS-Patna director Dr PK Singh had clearly stated that there is requirement of a strong action plan by state government to save lives from AES in state which kills large count of children each year.
“While the AES has spread to Samastipur and Vaishali too, more than 40 peopla died because heat stroke in the state. The heat stroke is the maximum recorded in Bihar after 1966. Amid these situation, there is a massive lack of infrastructure as well as count of doctors at government hospitals. This needs to be addressed for improving health sector in long run," he said.
"We have appraised about the scenario of lack of infrastructure to Union health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan and to state health minister Mangal Pandey too," he said.
Karak said that after end of the 24 hour strike, a team of doctors would be sent to Muzaffarpur for tackling and assessing the scenario with the other doctors already engaged in the crisis.