More Mumbai doctors strike work demanding safety

Resident doctors of two other Mumbai hospitals today joined their counterparts at Sion hospital who are on an indefinite strike to protest against the assault on their colleagues by a patient's kin.

Resident doctors of two other Mumbai hospitals on Friday joined their counterparts at Sion hospital who are on an indefinite strike to protest against the assault on their colleagues by a patient's kin.

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"Resident doctors of KEM and Nair Hospitals have also joined in the strike to support the doctor who was assaulted by a patient's kin," said Pankaj Nalawade of the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD).

Angered by the death of their 10-month-old baby girl, relatives assaulted on-duty resident doctors at Sion hospital on Wednesday.

Vishnu Dhadwad, who was treating the patient, was locked in a room and beaten up. "Dr. Vishnu, who is physically challenged, sustained bruises and a fractured right hand," said Yogesh Pawar of MARD from Sion Hospital.

"The doctors who tried to intervene were also beaten up," he added. "Relatives of patients beat up doctors every now and then. There is not enough security to protect the doctors. This has to stop."

Only resident doctors have struck work. "While we realise that other patients need to be attended to, we also want our concerns to be addressed," Dr Pawar said. "We are not only fighting for ourselves, but for the patients too."

Sadia Siddique, a 10-month-old baby girl, was brought to Sion Hospital on Sunday for treatment of lower respiratory tract infection. According to the doctors, she had to be shifted to the pediatric intensive care unit as her condition deteriorated.