At least a dozen doctors who were to leave for Bihar this week to work in flood relief camps have refused to go citing security reasons.
Speaking to HT, a few doctors said they were concerned about possible attacks by locals after the hate campaign against north Indians by the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.
A team of 40 doctors from government hospitals and a doctors’ organisation — Doctors for You — had gone to Bihar in September after the devastating floods in the state.
Today, only five doctors are left there to manage the show.
“We had expected about 12 doctors to come to Bihar in three batches. The doctors were to go unofficially on a voluntary leave for one week. But many backed out after the recent attacks on north Indians, saying they are scared,” said Dr Ravikant Singh, coordinator of Doctors for You.
Having worked in a relief camp in Supaul district, Dr Sanjay Gupta (name changed) has an idea of the acute need for doctors in flood-hit areas. The first-year-resident doctor from Government Medical College in Nagpur wants to work in Bihar but is unsure of his safety.
“I wanted to go again and had applied for ten days leave. But I don’t think it is safe at the moment, the locals might attack us in anger. Even my family is against it,” said Gupta.
{{/usCountry}}“I wanted to go again and had applied for ten days leave. But I don’t think it is safe at the moment, the locals might attack us in anger. Even my family is against it,” said Gupta.
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