JAIPUR: Private hospitals in Jaipur have launched a complete medical shutdown from Thursday midnight, citing allegations of physical assault against the family members of neurosurgeon Dr Sondev Bansal.
The IMA, JMA, UPCHAR, PHNHS, and other prominent medical organisations have collectively announced an indefinite boycott of private healthcare services across Jaipur city.
Bansal was arrested on charges of irregularities under the RGHS scheme. He was harassed by lawyers within the High Court premises, which has also led to accusations of disrupting the court hearing.
The boycott encompasses OPD, IPD, and emergency services in their entirety. However, private hospitals will continue to treat patients who are already admitted but will refuse admission or treatment, including emergency care, to any new patients.
The medical associations allege that the court hearing scheduled for Thursday could not proceed due to the noise, sloganeering, and commotion created by lawyers.
They also claim that certain lawyers intercepted Dr Sondev Bansal's father and brother and allegedly took them into the Bar Room, subjected them to abusive behaviour, and physically assaulted them.
Consequently, the judicial process was disrupted, and the hearing of the case was adjourned to May 11.
Dr Mahesh Sharma, President of the Rajasthan State IMA, has warned that if immediate and concrete steps are not taken to ensure the safety of doctors, uphold the dignity of the judicial process, and secure justice for Dr Sondev Bansal, this boycott will be extended across the entire state of Rajasthan.
According to the Ashok Nagar Police Station, the police have not yet received any written complaint regarding the alleged assault on the doctor's family members, nor has anyone formally registered a case in connection with the incident.
Dr Anurag Tomar, General Secretary of the IMA Jaipur Branch, stated that in September 2025, the mother of an advocate underwent treatment at Nivik Hospital, Jaipur, under the RGHS scheme; she passed away during the course of her treatment.
Following a medical complaint, the Medical Board constituted to investigate the matter found no evidence of medical negligence or irregularity of any kind in the treatment provided.
But amid continuous sit-ins, protests, and pressure, a criminal case was registered against Dr Sondev Bansal on the grounds of alleged irregularities and minor errors related to the RGHS, and he was subsequently sent to jail.
The Medical Associations are demanding that swift justice be delivered to Dr Sondev Bansal and that strict legal action be taken against elements disrupting the judicial process.
Associations have demanded that the safety and security of doctors and their families must be ensured, along with a fear-free environment within court premises and hospitals.
Dr Vijay Kapoor, President of the Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association, stated, "If immediate and appropriate action is not taken, we will be left with no option other than a statewide, indefinite 'medical shutdown.' Doctors will be compelled to resort to a statewide strike."
Meanwhile, the High Court Bar Association has refuted these allegations. Deepesh Sharma, General Secretary of the High Court Bar Association, Jaipur, stated, "Lawyers did not engage in any form of physical assault within the High Court premises. There was merely an argument between private litigants, which we resolved through mediation and persuasion. No incident involving scuffling or physical assault has come to our notice."
Addressing the issue, Rajasthan’s Medical and Health Minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar said that the matter is a dispute between private parties and that the Health Department has no role in it.
Khimsar said, “This situation will cause immense distress to the general public. If critically ill patients are denied treatment, it could even lead to fatalities, while hospitals themselves will also suffer financial losses. The common people should not be made to suffer because of this dispute. I appeal to all concerned to reconsider the decision to withhold treatment and not suspend medical services, so that the public does not face unnecessary hardship.”
Sadly, as lawyers and doctors clash, it's ordinary patients in Jaipur who will suffer if this medical shutdown in private hospitals is not resolved urgently.