Mumbai: BMC Resident Doctors Continue Strike; Protest On Azad Maidan After Sion Hospital Medico Assaulted

A day after a female resident doctor was assaulted by drunk patients and his relatives in Mumbai's Sion hospital, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) resident doctors have announced their strike would continue until their demands on increased security and implementation of Central Healthcare Protection Act are met.

The resident doctors are also holding a silent march at Mumbai's Azad Maidan today (Monday, August 19) protesting against the unsafe standards of female healthcare workers. On the occasion of Rakshabandhan the protesting resident doctors are demanding 'justice for our sister'. The protest is also receiving public support.

After the horrific incident of rape and murder of a resident doctor in Kolkata's RG Kar medical college, the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) at BMC had announced the suspension of elective services from August 13, supporting the nationwide protests.

However, the situation in Mumbai intensified on Sunday when after an assault on an on-duty female resident doctor at BMC-run Sion Hospital. At 3.45 am on Sunday, a drunk patient visited the casualty ward to treat his bruise along with his relatives who were intoxicated too. The female doctor treating the patient was verbally and physically abused by the patient and his relatives.

An Institutional FIR was registered at Sion police station on Sunday against three men, including the patient and two women. Police had detained Prasad Mariappan Devendra (31) and his sister Shewta Mariappan Devendra (28) on Sunday. Both are residents of Sanjay Gandhi Nagar in Sion. As per reports, the police arrested two in the case on Monday.

A press statement released by BMC MARD on August 18 warned that an institutional FIR has been registered and the resident doctors' protest will escalate if swift actions are not taken by the authorities in the Sion Hospital assault incident.

"We will continue our protest by halting all elective services until our demands for increased security and implementation of the Central Healthcare Protection Act are met. We need concrete evidence for the same," the statement by BMC MARD said.

The resident doctors however will continue providing Emergency services.