Jamshedpur, Jan. 10 : MGM Medical College Hospital’s doctors under the banner of Indian Medical Association (IMA) today protested against non-implementation of Medical Protection Act in Jharkhand. About 50 doctors gathers outside the hospital OPD and shouted slogans, demanding the passage of Medical Protection Bill in the upcoming Budget session of the Jharkhand assembly.
�Medical Protection Act is the need of the hour as it is implemented in 18 states of the country. But in Jharkhand we have only been receiving assurance from the state. This had forced IMA state unit to decide for closing down OPDs as otherwise we are not feeling secure in discharging our duties. We will chalk out future course of our agitation depending on the government decision,� noted an official.
The IMA senior functionary also threatened that if government does not relent after the strike then they would tender mass resignation. Incidentally, doctors are demanding fixing of duty hours as they claim that at times they have to work for more than 12 hours at a stretch.
IMA’s Jamshedpur unit secretary, Mrityunjay Singh had, after demonstration for a brief period at the hospital, fixed posters in support of the Medical Protection Act outside the OPD of the medical college hospital and also at the Sakchi roundabout.
Singh said that the Medical Protection Act also has a provision for legal action against the doctors on the complaint of the patient or his or his guardians for wrong treatment, over-charging and misbehavior.