Resident Doctors’ Strike Disrupts Hospital Services Across Himachal Pradesh

Medical services, barring emergencies, were disrupted across several government hospitals in Himachal Pradesh on Saturday after resident doctors began an indefinite strike against the termination of a doctor accused of assaulting a patient, according to PTI.

The strike affected hospitals in Shimla, Dharamshala, Nahan, Hamirpur, Una and other districts, with routine services, OPDs and elective surgeries suspended. Emergency services continued to function, PTI reported.

Resident doctors said the termination of the medic within 48 hours was unjustified and had caused widespread resentment within the medical fraternity. Patients and their attendants, particularly those travelling from remote areas, reported difficulties due to the absence of doctors.

"I came here on Thursday from Ani, which is about 125 kilometres from Shimla, for my father's treatment. But no doctors are available due to the strike and we are facing inconvenience," said Krishan Singh Thakur, who accompanied a patient.

Thakur added that peak winter cold and a shortage of accommodation due to heavy tourist inflow around the New Year had compounded their problems, urging both the government and the doctors to resolve the issue quickly in patients’ interest.

"My wife is admitted to the hospital. Her MRI was scheduled for today, but it has not been conducted yet as the strike has begun. We are waiting for the doctors to resume duty," Dasvi Ram, another patient’s attendant, told PTI Videos on Saturday morning.

According to PTI, resident doctors of Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) and several other government hospitals had proceeded on mass casual leave on Friday, before escalating their protest into an indefinite strike a day later.

Announcing the strike, the Resident Doctors’ Association said routine services, elective operation theatres and OPDs would remain closed, while emergency services would continue.

"The emergency services are functioning. Consultants -- including assistant professors, associate professors and professors are rendering services to indoor patients and OPD. However, there were some issues with regards to planned surgeries," Dr Praveen Bhatia, Deputy Medical Superintendent at IGMC, said on Saturday.

The Directorate of Medical Education and Research has issued Standard Operating Procedures to ensure uninterrupted healthcare, including assigning OPD duties to consultants, ensuring round-the-clock availability of residents for emergency duties and prioritising indoor patients, PTI reported.

Speaking to mediapersons on Saturday, IGMC Resident Doctors’ Association president Sohail Sharma said the chief minister had assured an enquiry into the matter, but the termination had sent a negative message to doctors, leaving them feeling humiliated and unsafe.

"It takes a lot of effort and exams to become a doctor, who is also a human. We accept that there was misconduct, for which the doctor was suspended in six hours. But the termination in 48 hours based on the disciplinary committee report is not justified. Our only demand is revocation of the termination orders," he said.

"A doctor knows the condition of patients. If someone demands that the doctor sees him first or get terminated, how will a doctor work?" Sharma added.

The Himachal Pradesh government on Wednesday terminated the services of Dr Raghav Narula for allegedly entering into a physical altercation with a patient. The incident surfaced after a video showed Narula punching patient Arjun Singh inside the pulmonary ward of IGMC on Monday, while Singh was seen attempting to kick the doctor.

Singh, who had visited the hospital for a bronchoscopy and later complained of breathlessness, alleged that the dispute began over the doctor’s language. He claimed he objected to being addressed as "tu" instead of "tum", which he said provoked Narula.

Narula, however, maintained that Singh initiated the confrontation by using abusive language against him and his family. An inquiry committee later found both parties at fault, citing “misconduct, misbehaviour and acts unbecoming of a public servant” on Narula’s part, officials said, according to PTI.

Several medical bodies, including the Himachal Medical Officers’ Association, the Shimla Association of Medical and Dental College Teachers, the Shimla Private Practitioners’ Association and the Federation of Resident Doctors’ Associations, have backed the doctor. They have demanded his reinstatement, a transparent and time-bound inquiry, and strict action against those who created chaos inside the hospital to prevent similar incidents.

Members of the Resident Doctors’ Association met Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Friday. The chief minister assured action against the alleged mob that threatened the doctor inside the hospital and disrupted medical services, and promised new guidelines to ensure doctors’ safety within hospital premises.

Despite the assurances, the doctors proceeded with the strike, reiterating their demand for the revocation of the termination order, PTI reported.

(With inputs from PTI)