The deserted out patient (OP) clinic at government General Hospital, during Indian Medical Association (IMA) strike, in Thiruvananthapuram
| Photo Credit: S. Mahinsha
The dawn-to-dusk strike by doctors in public and private sector hospitals across the State disrupted the normal functioning of hospitals on Friday.
Out patient clinics did not function and elective surgeries also remained suspended. Only the emergency wing, labour room and transplant surgeries were exempted from the strike.
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Strike impact
Though the strike had been announced by doctors a week ago and posters were put up in hospitals alerting patients about the strike, most patients who reached hospitals on Friday had no prior information that OP clinics would not be functioning.
In some instances, patients had come to hospitals for review as they had been given appointments on Friday earlier. Patients who required immediate attention were taken care of by doctors in the emergency wing.
Reason for IMA’s strike
Doctors stage a sit-in protest at Indian Medical Association (IMA) headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram on March 17, 2023, Friday
| Photo Credit:
MAHINSHA S
Doctors across the State stayed away from work in response to a strike call given by the Indian Medical Association, to protest against the fact that the police had failed to arrest those accused of physically assaulting a doctor in Kozhikode a fortnight ago.
With over 40 professional associations of doctors and hospital managements deciding to join the strike, the State is seeing one of the strongest protests by the medical fraternity in recent times.
IMA and other professional bodies of doctors, in separate statements, pointed out that violence against doctors and hospitals were escalating in the State in recent times and that doctors will not be able to work in an atmosphere where theory felt threatened and vulnerable.
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Not a single conviction
Though the State has enacted the Kerala Healthcare Service Persons and Healthcare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage to Property) Act, 2012, there has not been a single conviction till date, IMA said.
There have been close to 200 major incidents of violence and physical assault against doctors and hospitals in Kerala in the past three years. Doctors are concerned that the innumerable directives issued by the High Court, which has viewed the violence against hospitals with concern, were not heeded by the State Government.
Doctors have welcomed the Government’s decision to amend the 2012 Act so that violence against hospitals and doctors are dealt with more stringently. They demanded that all the accused in the Kozhikode incident be arrested immediately and that doctors be provided a safe environment in hospitals for working.
