Doctors’ strike continues in Bihar

PATNA - Health services in Bihar were severely hit Tuesday as hundreds of junior doctors continued their indefinite strike for the second day, demanding the arrest of a legislator and enforcement of the medical protection act.

Police have arrested Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) legislator Surendra Prasad Yadav’s two bodyguards who fired at three interns of a Gaya hospital but failed to arrest the politician.

Health department officials said health services in the state were impacted as junior doctors in all six government-run hospitals struck work for the second day, demanding Yadav’s arrest.

“The functioning of all the six medical college and hospitals is crippled since Monday. Emergency services have been hit and surgeries postponed. The hospitals have witnessed an exodus of patients,” a health official said.

Three interns of the Anugrah Narain Magadh Medical College Hospital (ANMCH) in Gaya, about 100 km from here, were injured Sunday night when a security guard of Yadav fired at them after a scuffle over the treatment of a woman patient.

Soon after, junior doctors of all the six government medical colleges and hospitals in Bihar joined the strike in support of the ANMCH doctors.

Doctors of the Patna Medical College and Hospital, Nalanda Medical College and Hospital, Bhagalpur Medical College and Hospital, Darbhanga Medical College and Muzaffarpur Medical College have joined the strike.

According to police officials, some supporters of Yadav manhandled doctors in the emergency ward over the treatment of the woman patient.

After the doctors protested, some supporters of the RJD legislator threatened them and Yadav’s security guard opened fire, injuring the three interns.

Relatives of other patients and locals joined the protesting doctors and torched a police jeep.

The functioning of the ANMCH was paralysed late Sunday night following the incident and the doctors struck work, demanding action against Yadav and his security guard.