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Arunachal doctors call off 48-hour shutdown after govt assurance on safety
The doctors’ strike in Arunachal Pradesh had paralysed outpatient services and diagnostic facilities across the state
Itanagar: The medical fraternity in Arunachal Pradesh on Friday withdrew its call for a 48-hour shutdown of healthcare services, after the state government promised to meet their demands and address safety concerns in the wake of a violent assault on two doctors at the Tomo Riba Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (TRIHMS), Naharlagun.
The decision came after an emergency meeting at the civil secretariat here, where health minister Biyuram Wahge and home minister Mama Natung assured representatives of the Indian Medical Association-Arunachal Pradesh, the Arunachal Pradesh Doctors’ Association, the Trained Nurses’ Association of India and the TRIHMS Faculty Association that their demands would be implemented swiftly.
The government also announced a mass meeting with the medical community at TRIHMS on Saturday morning to ease anxieties among healthcare workers.
The shutdown, which had paralysed outpatient services and diagnostic facilities across the state, was lifted with immediate effect. However, doctors said they would continue to closely monitor the government’s actions.
“We do not want to call strikes and agitate, but the circumstances have forced us to do so. We are sad, we are scared,” said Dr Rinchin Dorjee Megeji, senior cardiologist and president of the TRIHMS Faculty Association.
He said the fraternity had demanded permanent security in hospitals and more nursing staff to reduce the stress on an overstretched system.
The protest was triggered after two doctors were attacked with an iron rod inside a TRIHMS ward on Thursday morning, leaving them injured and sparking outrage among medical staff.
Dr Megeji also moved to quash rumours circulating on social media that 40 maternal deaths had occurred in the state this year.
“According to the director of Medical Services, over 21,000 deliveries have been successfully conducted, with nine reported deaths so far — six during the Covid period. The figure of 40 is false and misleading,” he clarified, blaming the spread of misinformation on misattributed data.
