OPD services hit in C'garh as doctors join IMA strike

Non-essential medical services in public and private hospitals in Chhattisgarh were affected Monday as doctors stayed away from work in response to their apex body IMA's 24-hour strike call following attack on two medicos in West Bengal.

Around 500 doctors gathered at Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College here this morning and took out a march towards 'Rajbhawan', a senior doctor told PTI, adding that they demanded stringent laws to ensure safe environment for doctors at their workplace.

However, police stopped the march at Ambedkar Chowk ahead of the Rajbhawan, he added.

"Doctors belonging to all government hospitals, private clinics and nursing homes stayed away from work in support to the IMA's call," said IMA's Raipur district president Dr Anil Jain.

As a result of the strike, all hospital services, including OPDs, except in the emergency section, were affected.

The doctors handed over a memorandum to Additional District Magistrate (ADM) in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding enactment of stringent laws to ensure protection to medical practitioners and stern action against accused in the Kolkata case, Dr Jain said.

All junior doctors and students of medical colleges in the sate supported the strike.

Protests were also held in Rajnandgaon, Korba, Bilaspur and Raigarh.

Junior doctors in West Bengal have been on strike since June 11 after two of their colleagues were attacked allegedly by relatives of a patient who died at the NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.