15 Patients Die, 30 Surgeries Put off Due to Junior Doctors Strike

PATNA:
Nearly 15 patients died in the absence of medical attention and more than 30 surgeries had to be postponed at Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), Bihar’s largest government-run hospital, due to a strike of work by the junior doctors in protest against an incident of attack by some patients’ relatives.
As healthcare services worsened on Tuesday, more than 200 patients who had been admitted at the hospital left for private hospitals in the state capital and nearby towns, said PMCH sources. This is the second time in two months when junior doctors at PMCH have gone on a mass strike alleging inadequate security arrangements for them. At least 15 patients had reportedly died due to lack of medical attention at the hospital during the strike in August.
The junior doctors at PMCH went off work on Monday noon after one of them was allegedly beaten up by the relatives of a boy who was admitted for treatment of snakebite. The scuffle began allegedly after the boy’s relatives complained that he was not being treated well and that the doctors stopped them from shifting him to another hospital.
“Dr Dina Nath, a junior doctor working at the paediatric department of PMCH, was beaten up by the boy’s relatives and suffered nose bleeding and internal injuries. He was admitted at the ICU. Such violent behaviour by patients’ relatives must stop at all costs,” said Junior Doctors’ Association (JDA) president Dr Vinay Kumar.
PMCH superintendent Dr Rajiv Ranjan Prasad said the causes of the scuffle were being investigated both by the hospital management and police after an FIR was lodged at Pirbahore police station. “Efforts are on to end the strike by the aggrieved junior doctors. Healthcare facilities are being taken care of by senior doctors,” he added.
Bihar health minister Mangal Pandey appealed to the junior doctors to end the strike and resume treating the patients. There are about 200 security personnel deployed at PMCH, but violent behaviour by patients’ relatives remains a concern.