Junior doctors of Patna suspended emergency services in PMCH and NMCH.

Junior doctors of Patna suspended emergency services in PMCH and NMCH.

Patna, August 16: The junior doctors of all major medical colleges of Patna suspended emergency services for an indefinite period after the brutal rape and murder of a female trainee doctor in Kolkata,

As a result, a large number of patients are facing uneasy situations in and outside the Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) and Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH), causing significant disruption to healthcare services in Patna.

In solidarity with the junior doctors, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) of Bihar also suspended the OPD service.

“We are demanding enhanced safety and security measures for medical students especially after we heard some goons further attacked in one of the hospitals in Kolkata. We demand the establishment of police posts at all four medical colleges in Kolkata,” said Dr Rajesh Srivastava, a third-year MBBS student of PMCH.

“We demand the implementation of comprehensive medical protection measures across all medical colleges and universities for students and culprits should be given capital punishment,” he said.

“We have suspended the emergency services which meant to send a strong message to the authorities, to take immediate measures and ensure the safety and security of the medical students. We are not against the patients but our safety is also necessary. We are not here to fight against anyone,” said Dr Rashmi Sinha, an MBBS PG student of PMCH.

The situation of NMCH is similar with junior doctors suspending both emergency and OPD services in solidarity.

Patients affected by the suspension of services in PMCH and NMCH have expressed frustration, arguing that the incident in Kolkata is related to law and order that should be addressed through the judicial system, not by withholding medical care. Many believe that denying treatment to patients as a form of protest is unfair and unethical.

“I came from Supaul for treatment of my husband. He has had head injuries. The medical staff are present at the registration counter but they are not giving registration slips. We are waiting for the doctors to return to the duty,” said a patient’s kin.

A large number of patients and their attendants are waiting anxiously in and outside the hospitals in Patna.

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The situation highlights the tension between junior doctors’ demands for safety and the urgent needs of patients seeking medical care.

EOM.