Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said that protests disrupting patient care should not be held, following the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors' (MARD) decision to call off its indefinite strike earlier in the day after the Bombay High Court took suo motu cognisance of the matter.
Fadnavis appeals to doctors
Speaking to reporters in Mumbai, Fadnavis said, "Any protest that hampers the treatment and relief of patients is inappropriate. For the state government, all doctors, regardless of the medical system they practise, are equal, and we make no distinction among them. Doctors serving in our medical colleges and hospitals are especially important to us."
Assuring the protesting doctors, the chief minister said the state government has no intention of treating any of them unfairly.
Subsequently, doctors at various hospitals across the city, including Sir JJ Hospital, KEM Hospital, Sion Hospital, Nair Hospital and Cooper Hospital, had joined the agitation against the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) registration of Certificate Course in Modern Pharmacology (CCMP)-qualified BHMS practitioners.
Strike disrupts hospital services
According to reports, the strike severely disrupted outpatient services across Mumbai's major government hospitals on Wednesday. While emergency services, intensive care units (ICUs) and surgeries continued without interruption, OPD attendance dropped by nearly 50 per cent at several hospitals, leaving hundreds of patients waiting for hours, with many returning home without receiving treatment.
High Court intervenes
Taking note of the disruption to patient care, the Bombay High Court took suo motu cognisance of the strike. A Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Gautam Ankhad issued notices to the Indian Medical Association (Maharashtra), MARD, and the State Medical Education Department.
Treating the matter as urgent, the high court scheduled an immediate hearing in the day. During the hearing held at 1 pm, the court directed the protesting doctors to call off their strike immediately and resume work at the earliest. The Bench further assured the doctors that it would hear their grievances in full but ordered that the strike be withdrawn without further delay.
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