ROURKELA: Doctors of government and private hospitals joined the nationwide strike of Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Monday.
They suspended non-emergency medical services at the Rourkela Government Hospital (RGH) and private hospitals and healthcare institutions across the city in protest against the attack on junior doctors of NRS Medical College and Hospital (NRSMCH), Kolkata, a week back.
Members of the Rourkela city branch of IMA and IMA-Medical Student Network (IMA-MSN) took out a protest march from the IMA premises at the RGH campus which culminated at the office of the Rourkela ADM where they submitted a memorandum addressed to the Prime Minister.
Doctors in the memorandum signed by IMA’s RCB president RK Dutta and secretary Debadutta Mohapatra, condemned the assault on doctors and demanded enactment of a Central legislation to protect doctors and health institutions.
At the Sundargarh District Headquarters Hospital (SDHH), doctors resorted to symbolic protest by wearing of black badges but did not disrupt medical services, informed Sundargarh Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) Dilip Sarangi.
Government-run health institutions in the periphery areas of Sundargarh district functioned normally.
In Koraput district, healthcare was hit with local doctors joining the nationwide strike.
Wearing black badges, they boycotted their duty in outdoors of 16 government hospitals throughout the district. They only attended emergency cases in the indoors.
Koraput CDMO DB Tripathy said patients were only treated in casualty and emergency wards in different hospital on priority basis.