Bombay High Court directs protesting resident doctors in Maharashtra to resume duty immediately

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Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Thursday directed the protesting resident doctors in Maharashtra to resume duty immediately.

Also, the Bombay High Court said that resident doctors can amicably resolve issues with Maharashtra government.

The development came after the Bombay High Court, which had castigated the doctors during a hearing on a PIL on Tuesday, took up the matter again on Thursday.

Doctors stay away from work for 4th day

Unfazed by the government's warning of suspension and cutting their pay, resident doctors across various hospitals in Maharashtra continued their strike for the fourth day on Thursday.

Nearly 4,000 resident doctors have been striking since Monday, demanding enhanced security in the wake of a string of attacks on doctors by patients' relatives at government hospitals across the state.

The protests have been hampering the services of Out-Patient Departments (OPDs) in various hospitals.

Last night, a woman doctor of the civic-run Sion hospital here was allegedly beaten up by the relatives of a patient, which made the stand of the protesting medicos more aggressive.

The civic-run KEM Hospital in Mumbai has started issuing suspension notices to the doctors who did not report to duty despite state Medical Education Minister Girish Mahajan asking them to resume work by last evening.

Mahajan had warned the protesting resident doctors that they would lose six months' pay and face suspension if they did not resume work by 8 PM yesterday.

"After the government's directive yesterday, we have started issuing suspension notices to resident doctors in Mumbai's KEM, Sion and Nair hospitals," KEM Hospital's Dean Dr Avinash Supe told PTI today.

"There are at least 1,500 resident doctors in these three hospitals who did not report to duty yesterday by 8 PM. Now, all of them will face suspension," he said.

A representative of the protesting medicos said, "The resident doctors also need armed security personnel at sensitive places on the hospital premises. There should be an alarm system so that the doctors can call the security."

"The pass system, commonly practised in private hospitals, should be implemented to restrict the number of relatives visiting a patient," he said.

"There is also a need to make the attack on doctors a non-bailable offence and cases should be heard before fast track courts. These are our demands and we are not asking for the moon, still the state is not addressing it on priority," he said.

The Indian Medical Association -- which has some 40,000 members in Maharashtra -- had yesterday also extended support to the agitation.

The Full Time Medical Teachers' Association attached to Thane Municipal Corporation-run Rajiv Gandhi Medical College in the neighbouring district also issued a written letter extending support to the doctors' protest. 

Meanwhile, three persons have been booked for allegedly beating up the woman doctor in Sion hospital last night, police said today.

The doctor was allegedly slapped and beaten up by the relatives of a four-month-old girl, who was admitted in the hospital for treatment of pneumonia, they said.

The patient's mother and her other relatives alleged that the doctor was not providing proper medical treatment to the child, a police official said.

After the incident, the doctors present in the hospital gathered and protested in the premises, he said.

Later, the hospital administration called the police and the patient's mother was taken into custody, he said.

The woman doctor also complained to the hospital administration about the incident, he said.

The Sion police today registered an offence against the patient's mother and her two relatives under IPC section 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), the official said.

According to the data of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's medical department, the present strength of security personnel in KEM hospital is 210 and there is an additional requirement of 306 guards.

The current strength of security staff in Sion hospital is 180 and there is an additional requirement of 206.

(With agency inputs)