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| Doctors on strike: emergency spared, other patients suffer | | |
MUNISH GUPTA
Jammu, July 30: The health and medicare services in the Government Medical College and its associated Hospitals as well as in periphery health institutions remained affected today due to the strike of junior doctors.
Meanwhile the patients and attendants who had come to hospital were seen sitting in OPDs of GMC Jammu and SMGS Hospital Jammu in a hope that after their protest the doctors will resume the services in normal routine.. However, there was no impact on emergency services as the same were kept out of the purview of the strike.
The strike has taken a toll on patients, making their lives miserable. They are now running from pillar to post to get admission. "I came here for treatment but was told that doctors are on strike. People are coming from various parts of the city but have returned disappointed. This is a very serious issue. The whole system is suffering," claimed Santosh Kumar Singh, a distressed patient.
Their relatives have also complained that they are being refused admission.. They told me to take the patient (wife) somewhere else. Where should I take her? Other hospitals ask for more money, where do I get the money from?" said Rafiq.The hospital authorities, however, claimed that they have made arrangements to deal with the situation.
Under the banner of Doctors Joint Action Committee (DJAC) the agitating doctors gathered in front of Out Patient Department (OPD) in the Government Medical College, and held protest demonstration against the Government for not taking genuine demands of the doctors seriously.
The postgraduate doctors alleged that in 2005 the state government had agreed to end pay anomalies in terms of salaries. “Accordingly, the strike was called off after we were assured of annual increments. But things did not materialise due to delaying tactics of the Besides, the house surgeons also who were the part of the protest lamented that they do not want their ethical and professional stature be gauged at par with medical representatives who are well placed financially while they are put to humiliation while offering them almost the same amount as what they get”, said Medical Registrar Dr Satish Parihar.
Apart from services in the Emergency Wards, doctors in all the hospitals in Jammu and Kashmir state are on token strike today,’’ Doctors’ Joint Action Committee (DJAC) spokesperson Dr Gurdev Singh told
He said the DJAC had already submitted its memorandum to the Health Minister and were waiting for a ‘’positive response’’ towards their demands.‘’Our main demand is to place Assistant Surgeons under Pay Band III instead of Pay Band II as in the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations by the Centre,’’ the DJAC spokesperson said.
He said "the DJAC’s demands also included hike in the stipend of the Resident Doctors doing Post Graduation, at least equal to the House Surgeons which are generally simple MBBS graduates, and lowering of service period for the first time-bound promotion from 10 years to four years." Further course of action, Dr Singh said, would be decided after the general body meeting. ‘’It could be a complete and indefinite strike if government doesn’t pay heed to our genuine demand,’’ he asserted
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