Patients suffer as resident doctors in Bikaner go on strike

BIKANER: The third day of the strike by resident doctors of PBM Hospital, Bikaner saw patients and their relatives, who were coming to the casualty ward for immediate relief, facing problems. The hospital administration has deployed senior doctors in the casualty ward.
The resident doctors are demanding action against those police officials, who arrested two resident doctors -- Dr Meghraj Mali and Dr Hemant Jat -- deployed in the casualty ward, and the withdrawal of the cases registered against the doctors.
Hospital spokesman Dr K K Varma told TOI that the hospital's resident doctors have boycotted their duties in the casualty ward as they are protesting against police action in the incident that took place on Friday, when a patient's relatives were allegedly beaten up by the resident doctors. Dr Varma further said the hospital administration has watched the CCTV footage of the casualty ward and they found that it was initiated by the patient's relatives, who slapped an on-duty resident doctor. The resident doctors reacted by beating up the relatives, he added.
Hari Prasad Sharma, SP, Bikaner, said resident doctors are mounting unnecessary pressure on the police by going on strike. He said two FIRs have been registered against both the resident doctors and relatives of patient. The arrested doctors have been booked under section 151 to maintain peace and harmony in the hospital as they even misbehaved with the police team and didn't let them fulfill their duties, added Sharma. The SP also said both the FIRs are under investigation.
Meanwhile, several conversations have happened between resident doctors' representatives and hospital administration represented by Dr K C Nayak, Principal, S P Medical College, Dr R A Bamb, Dr Ami Lal Bhatt, Dr R P Aggrawal and hospital superintendent Dr V B Singh.
Nawab Khan, resident of Jhajju, was brought to the casualty ward of the hospital on Friday night. Nawab Khan was badly injured due to some accident. His uncle Ilmu Khan alleged that he requested the on-duty doctor many times to attend Nawab, but they didn't hear and at last advised him to take the patient to Jaipur without conducting primary examination. When Ilmu Khan and others protested, the resident doctors started beating them and it turned very chaotic. Police was called and C O (Sadar) Premdan, C I Islam Khan and others rushed to the hospital and tried to control the situation by persuading the doctors and patients, but failed. According to C I Islam Khan, the doctors also misbehaved with the police.