Junior doctors’ strike paralyses medical services

[sajiv]

Junior doctors' strike paralyses medical services

MYSORE: The indefinite strike called by hundreds of junior doctors belonging to the Mysore Medical College and Research Institute (MMC&RI) in protest against the alleged assault on their colleagues on Friday, affected the services at the KR hospital here.

Junior doctors from KR Hospital, Cheluvamba Hospital, Government Eye Hospital and PKTB Sanitorium attached to MMC & RI abstained from duty, protesting against such repeated incidents and demanding adequate police cover for them. On Thursday, the relatives of a boy, who died at the Cheluvamba Children's Hospital assaulted three junior doctors and a security man on duty.

"Junior doctors Panchaksharaiah, Sharat and Pushpa were abused and assaulted when they informed the relatives of the death of Manjunath," said Superintendent of Cheluvamba Hospital Krishnamurthy.

The junior doctors, who gathered on the premises of the hospital presented a charter of demands to dean of MMC & RI Dr Venkatesh.

Later, they went on leave informing the authorities that they would not return until they were provided with adequate police security in the hospital.

Talking to the media, Dr Mahesh said that all doctors would participate in the indefinite strike until their demands were fulfilled. "It is the sixth case of assault on junior doctors in six months," he added.

The protest has paralysed the services at casualty operation theatre, emergency section and blood bank in all the four hospitals. The OPD section was closed in the Cheluvamba hospital.

Superintendent of KR Hospital Geetha Awadhani said only emergency surgeries could be provided in the present situation. The police held four persons in connection with the assault case.