Arunachal Pradesh Doctors Join Nationwide Strike

Arunachal Pradesh Doctors Join Nationwide Strike

Our Correspondent

Itanagar: Doctors under Arunachal Pradesh unit of Indian Medical Association (IMA) shut down all services including out-patient department (OPD) services for 24-hour since Monday morning in all hospitals across the State, including the lone Tomo Riba Institute of Medical and Health Science (TRIHMS) here.

Attack on Dr Paribaha Mukhopadhyay in Kolkata’s NRS Medical College and Hospital on June 10 has snowballed into a nationwide agitation and the IMA State unit led by president Dr Lobsang Tsetim and secretary Dr Jego Ori joined IMA’s call to suspend non-essential medical services for 24-hour from 6 am on Monday across the country.

TRIHMS doctors addressing a meeting highlighted the atrocities committed against doctors in this remote State. But for the first time, the IMA has raised their unheard voices and demanded a comprehensive central law to deal with violence against doctors, healthcare staff and hospitals.

Many doctors reiterated the demands of IMA – “Security measures and the determinants leading to violence, exemplary punishment to perpetrators of violence to be incorporated in the central law, besides suitable amendments in IPC and CrPC and ensuring effective implementation of law and hospitals should be declared as “safe zones”. The doctors have also been seeking a structured safety measure including 3-layer security, CCTVs and restriction of entry of visitors to be enforced uniformly across the country.

Pointing out that the IMA launched the three-day nationwide protest since Friday to extend support to the agitating doctors, Dr Ori said and quoted the IMA to claim that 19 States have already passed legislations. Many senior doctors regretted that the serving doctors are always exposed to risk due to shortage of manpower, equipment, infrastructure, administration, management, even emergency medicines not available even in TRIHMS, while many pointed out that doctors are losing respect for violating medical ethics under influence of consumerism.

While dentist Dr Tage Tamo suggested to constitute a ‘rapid action team’ to tackle any problem that springs up suddenly, while another doctor suggested posting of attendant at OPDs for the doctors on duty to serve the patients smoothly.

However, H&FW Minister Alo Libang, when contacted for his reaction, made a fervent appeal to the doctors to ensure treatment to the patients, even by wearing black badges to register their protest.

Top Headlines

No stories found.
Sentinel Assam
www.sentinelassam.com