'It was business as usual for us'

Say authorities of public hospitals, after seniors filled in for the 1,500 resident doctors who went on strike yesterday; unions upset with unmet demands

Customarily, it's the juniors who step into the shoes of their seniors, but the opposite happened on Friday, when senior doctors at public hospitals in the city had to stand in for the 1,500 resident doctors on a 24-hour-long flash strike.


Resident doctors on strike display messages that demand for fee cuts for MBBS and other postgraduate courses in medicine

As doctors studying in four major public medical hospitals in the city abandoned work to demand security from assaults and other concessions, some 1,100 senior doctors saved the day for the thousands who flock to public hospitals every day.

Work unhampered

Dr T P Lahane, dean of JJ hospital, said, "All our senior doctors managed the work throughout the day. At any given day, they work during daytime and resident doctors take over during night hours, mainly to handle emergency cases.
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With senior doctors managing the place, there was no chance of inconvenience to patients,"
The hospital, whose out-patient department receives 1,700 patients daily, on Friday saw over 2,000 cases.
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"We even conducted 44 routine and nine emergency surgeries as all seniors were present in the hospital," added Lahane.

Authorities at both state- and civic-run hospitals made sure that all senior doctors work round the clock in shifts to avoid discommode to patients.

Dr Ravi Rannavre, dean of Nair hospital, said, "All our senior doctors were on round-the-clock duty. We performed five deliveries and admitted 64 new patients in the day. It was a usual work day for us."

While interns and residents doctors at KEM held a candle light march, Dr Sanjay Oak, dean of KEM, said, "No doubt strikes affects the hospital's work, but our 300 senior doctors efficiently managed the patients.

A day before the strike, I had cancelled all their leaves and asked them to work 24 hours on Friday, clearly telling them that no emergency patients should be sent home and the best of the treatment be dispensed,"
Dr Pradeep Bhosle, heading KEM's orthopedic department, said, "Post working hours, senior doctors including assistant and associate professors are on call.
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The residents manage emergencies that land in the hospital as they are on 24-hour shift. In their absence, we have put assistant professors to fill in."

In fact many senior doctors who stay away from the hospital made it a point to stay on the hospital campus so they could immediately rush in case of an emergency.

KEM saw more than 2,500 patients in OPD, 80 new admissions, 32 operations (including seven deliveries). Around 300 doctors were present, including lecturers, associate professors, and heads of departments.

While at Sion hospital, 25 deliveries were performed in the gynaecology department. "No work got hampered. We only postponed the routine surgeries, all emergencies were dealt with efficiently," said Dr Sandhya Kamat, the hospital's dean.

Unheard pleas

As the strike failed to produce any tangible effect on the work-a-day affairs of the hospitals, those on strike, dispirited with the languid response of the authorities, earnestly urged them to rethink and alter their positions on the list of demands.

Dr Pankaj Nalwade, president of Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD), said, "The authorities have not yet responded to our demand, nor taken any cognisance of our strike. All our demands are falling on deaf ears. We have decided to meet the authorities again."

President of Interns Association at Sion hospital, Dr Atmaram Gadgil, said, "The government has hiked the MBBS and post-graduation course fee. It fails to understand that the stipend should also be hiked. MBBS students have to do a year-long internship and they should be given a stipend on the lines of other states."

Dr Ankush Nawale, spokesperson for the Interns Association, said, "The government is not at all responding to our demands. We just want our stipend to be Rs 13,000. Other states like Bihar also have a stipend of Rs 7,000 and West Bengal 14,000. After studying for four and a half years we get only Rs 85 a day."

Demands
Interns: Want a stipend hike from the existing Rs 2,500.

Resident doctors:
>More security against assaults by relatives
>Implementation of Doctors Protection Act
>No abrupt fee hike in medical courses
>Maternity leave for female students

1,500
The number of resident doctors on strike in the city's public hospitals

600
The number of interns on strike in the city's public hospitals

Patients stranded

The desertion of work did trouble some patients, as u00a0MiD DAY found out. Some were left high and dry, while others, who had come from different districts, unaware of the strike, had to jump hurdles to be treated.

Case 1
Premlata, whose left side of the body is paralysed, came all the way to Mumbai after doctors in Nashik referred her to bigger hospitals like KEM in the city. Her daughter-in-law, Anita, let down by the strike, said, "We were not aware that the doctors here are on strike. My mother-in-law's condition was deteriorating and we wanted her to get immediate treatment."

Anita, who stays in Kandivli, waited 30 minutes to get an admission in the hospital ward. "My husband is running around to get her (Premlata) admitted. She cannot control her urination and is very weak. We can't make her run around in this condition," she said.

Case 2
Gulal Biswas, who had come from Worli to Tata Hospital regarding skin problems, was referred to KEM Ward 117. When he reached there, he was told that owing to the strike, doctors are not available and that he should come on Monday for the treatment. Visibly depressed, Biswas said, "I didn't know that I was going to be turned away."

Inputs by Arvind Walmiki