SAMBALPUR: Seeking immediate intervention of the state government, the Junior Doctors’ Association (JDA) of Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR), Burla on Thursday said the ongoing indefinite strike by the Odisha Medical Services Association (OMSA) has pushed the premier tertiary care hospital to the brink of a healthcare crisis.
In a memorandum submitted to the commissioner-cum-secretary of the Health and Family Welfare department, the JDA said the strike at peripheral government hospitals has triggered an unprecedented influx of patients to VIMSAR over the last 48 hours with even routine cases being referred to the tertiary care institution.
It further said VIMSAR, which is primarily meant to provide advanced tertiary care, specialised surgeries and critical care, is now struggling to cope with a surge in non-emergency referrals that would ordinarily be managed at primary and secondary healthcare facilities.
“Our doctors, postgraduate residents and other healthcare staff have been working continuously for the past 48 hours without adequate rest. The mounting patient load is causing severe physical and mental fatigue. If the current influx continues for another 48 hours, VIMSAR’s healthcare delivery system could come under immense strain, compromising both the quality and quantity of patient care,” JDA president Dr Malay Ranjan Mallik said.
Seeking immediate intervention to prevent a breakdown of healthcare services in western Odisha, the JDA appealed to the government to resolve the impasse at the earliest in the interest of both patients and the medical fraternity.
The association also expressed support for OMSA’s demands, stating that its members were wearing black badges as a mark of solidarity.
The OMSA has launched an indefinite cease-work protest from July 1 after talks with the state government over its long-pending demands failed to yield a breakthrough.