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| Medico strike was avoidable | | |
Hundreds and thousands of patients across Jammu and Kashmir have been left to the mercy of gods and quacks as the state government and the agitating junior doctors continue to be locked in a tangle of ego. As the impasse continues, it is, of course, easy to write but not quite appropriate to shift entire blame to the government for its failure in resolving the issue. At the same time, the junior medicos too cant be fully blamed for taking the agitational recourse when government had made an in-principle commitment to address their ‘genuine issues’ around the time when ‘Darbar Move’ offices reopen in Jammu. The doctors went on strike on October 5 and it was on October 1 when in a meeting with them the government assured to address their grievances soon after offices reopen in Jammu. The winter secretariat is reopening in Jammu on November 9 and this bare one month time would not have broken the hell loose had the doctors exhibited patience. Though we are convinced to some extent that doctors took to agitation only after government failed at many such commitments in the past few months but still a little more wait and another opportunity to the government was advisable. Going to strike a month before deadline fixed by the government and then refusing to relent on repeated requests being made by the government the doctors have exposed themselves to a test of professional responsibility in the public eye. Since in the given circumstances both parties (government and doctors) have an element of genuineness as well as the hollow ego in their stands, the government must understand that it could have shortened the strike by engaging into a dialogue with doctors. On October 4 when doctors announced to go on strike by the next day the government should have renewed its efforts to get engaged into talks. Instead of negotiating with the doctors, the Minister for Health Sham Lal Sharma and Minister for Medical Education RS Chib convened a meeting the same evening and issued a clear warning to the doctors against their proposed strike. An interesting element of the meeting held barely 12 hours before the doctors went on strike was the conspicuous presence of the Inspector General of Jammu Police and other senior officers of his force. It is but evident that what government intended to convey to the doctors when it declared that there was no question of budging. Now both parties, the government and the doctors, have gone too far in their egoistic stands that there is no face saving for either parties. Caught in their game of ego are indoor patients in the government hospital in Jammu and Kashmir who are leaving for their homes as the strike by Junior Doctors continues with no sign of any agreement. The authorities, besides making appeal to doctors to resume work, have also threatened action against them for remaining absent from duty. No surgery has been conducted in the hospital for the past about one week, we are told. The strike has badly hit the poor patients who could not pay fees of doctors at their private clinics as only emergency operations were being conducted in the hospitals. The doctors are demanding among other things, change of pay band, introduction of a law to make assault on health personnel a non-bailable offence, integration of PG stipend with that of House Surgeons and Assistant Surgeons and payment of arrears from January 1, 2006 and time-bound promotion of doctors after completing five years, 10 years and 15 years service.
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