Bhubaneswar: Doctors at all government, private hospitals and nursing homes in the State will refrain from attending OPD services tomorrow to support the junior doctors' strike in West Bengal over incidents of attacks.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) branch of Odisha today lent out its support to the nationwide call for total withdrawal of non-essential services by various associations of doctors like JDA, OMSA and RDA.
The 24-hour shutdown call is likely to affect outpatient department consultation and other services at hospitals. Secretary of IMA Odisha, Janmejaya Mohapatra said that even though most OPD services will be out of order, emergency services will continue to run as usual.
Later in the day, however, RDA AIIMS withdrew the strike and has stated that it will function as usual for now. "Hospital services would not be disrupted & shall continue as usual for now. In case the lock-jam does not end, we will be forced to resort to escalation of the protest," a press release said.
Last Monday, a doctor Paribaha Mukherjee from Kolkata’s NRS Medical College was brutally attacked by family members of a patient who died while undergoing treatment at the hospital. Later some other incidents of violence against junior doctors led to nationwide outrage leading doctors to launch intense cease work stir.
West Bengal CM came down heavily on the protesters alleging that opposition BJP was behind the agitation and giving communal colour to the issue.