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Over 500 resident doctors from BJMC to go on indefinite strike from Feb 7
The strike is likely to hamper routine work, including the outpatient department and surgeries at the Sassoon General Hospital
Over 500 resident doctors from B J Medical College (BJMC) and Sassoon General Hospital (SGH) will go on an indefinite strike from Wednesday, affecting routine services at the hospital. The strike is likely to hamper routine work, including the outpatient department (OPD) and surgeries at the SGH, officials said.
The BJMC and SGH doctors will join the statewide indefinite strike called by the Central Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) for its long pending demands. The Central MARD claims that in the past, it has written multiple times to the medical education department and medical education minister Hasan Mushriff about delayed stipend payments, a significant shortage of hostels, and a hike in stipend but to no avail.
Dr Nikhil Gattani, president, BJMC unit of MARD, said, “In Pune, there is no problem of stipend but a major issue is inadequate hostel facilities. The persistent shortage of hostel premises in every medical college, including in Pune, has resulted in compromised living conditions, especially for senior residents who often lack accommodation. The recurrent delays and irregularities in stipend payments have created financial insecurity among resident doctors across the state.”
Among the demands of the resident doctors are adequate hostel accommodation, regularised stipend payments by the 10th of each month, and stipend increments in line with central institutes.
“While we regret any disruption in patient care during the strike, rest assured that emergency services will remain functional. However, the responsibility for any compromised patient care rests solely upon the government,” said the BJMC resident doctors in the letter submitted to the dean of BJMC on Monday.
Dr Ajay Tawre, medical superintendent of SGH, said that emergency medical services and surgeries will be carried out at the hospital during the strike. “However, elective surgeries and OPD will suffer. We are trying to rope in other junior doctors during the strike temporarily, to avoid inconvenience to the patients,” he said.
