Juniors doctors on Friday began their agitation demanding the Madhya Pradesh government to adequately equip hospitals so they don’t have to face the anger of people for loopholes beyond their control. They are also demanding better security at the hospitals, in addition to an increase in their stipend.
Junior Doctors’ Association (JDA) Bhopal president Dr Aditya Lunawat told HT that they were left with no option but to start an agitation. “Our main demands are that the government should provide proper equipment, tools and healthcare machinery in the main referral hospital of the state – Hamidia and Sultania Hospitals. Unless the government equips these hospitals properly, we can’t provide the best healthcare to the patients,” he said.
Around 250 junior doctors in Bhopal and roughly 1,200 across the state are agitating, said Dr Aditya.
Dr Aditya said many junior doctors have been beaten up umpteen times by the attendants of patients who don’t understand that it was primarily due to the lacunae in the health infrastructure that led to the worsening of condition of patients in some cases.
The agitating junior doctors ran a parallel out-patient department (OPD) outside Hamidia Hospital building, so the patients didn’t have to suffer. Department-wise tables were set up to tend to the patients. According to the junior doctors, they handled over 400 patients on Friday.
{{/usCountry}}The agitating junior doctors ran a parallel out-patient department (OPD) outside Hamidia Hospital building, so the patients didn’t have to suffer. Department-wise tables were set up to tend to the patients. According to the junior doctors, they handled over 400 patients on Friday.
{{/usCountry}}The worries of the authorities are compounded by the rise in cases of swine flu and dengue in the state, in addition to the daily energies cases that are usually handled by junior doctors.
Madhya Pradesh Central Junior Doctors Association president Dr Girish Chaturvedi said the leaders of JDAs from Gwalior, Indore, Bhopal, Jabalpur and Rewa would meet state health minister Narottam Mishra on Saturday morning around 8 am in Gwalior.
“After the meeting, the future course of our agitation would be decided. Also, I want to point out that we are not on strike, but we have launched an agitation. We are holding parallel OPDs for patients outside the hospital building,” he said.