Chief Minister Eknath Shinde assured junior doctors that utmost care would be taken to ensure their safety at work. Following this assurance, the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD), which led the strike following the August 9 rape and murder horror in Kolkata, announced that it would end its agitation, an official release said here.

During the strike, doctors demanding swift justice for the family of the Kolkata victim stayed away from attending non-emergency medical services in government hospitals in the state. Shinde also assured that their demands for availability of hostels and regular payment of allowances would be responded to positively, the press release said.

Shinde ordered a comprehensive study into the safety of medical staff at all medical colleges and hospitals of the state government and asked the authorities to appoint police officers to coordinate security in this regard.

The CM has requested the government to give priority to housing for doctors in training and hostels, and regular payment of allowances, the press release said.

The Central MARD, along with Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) MARD, the association of doctors in the metropolis, held a meeting with Shinde regarding their various demands.

Both the associations announced that they are calling off their ongoing strike after a positive approach by the Chief Minister and his decisions regarding their demands. The associations’ chairmen and their representatives present at the meeting announced that the strike would be called off after a blood donation at a camp.

Shinde stated that the medical officers in hospitals affiliated to government medical colleges offer their services without any expectation. He said it is necessary to take measures regarding their safety and accommodation, keeping in view the importance of their work.

He stressed that if doctors in training are expected to provide quality service and work, they must also have good facilities.

The Ministry of Home Affairs, the PWD and other concerned departments are expected to work closely together to achieve this.
Arrangements would be made so that there is constant coordination from the Chief Minister’s office, he said. Shinde asked the PWD department and the BMC to lease buildings for hostel facilities and said an assessment of renovation of hostels, toilet blocks and installation of CCTV cameras should be carried out.

The CM said the police department should provide training to personnel of various agencies deployed for security of government medical colleges and affiliated hospitals.

The meeting took a decision to have a standard operating procedure regarding the safety of medical personnel. It includes crowd management, including that of patients’ relatives, displaying signs about legal action in case of attacks on medical personnel and an amendment to the 2010 state law on attacks on medical personnel, the press release said.

The junior doctors went on strike from August 13, shutting down services like outpatient clinics, elective surgeries, ward services, laboratory services and academic activities. However, the emergency department was functional. The Central MARD condemned the rape and murder of the junior doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.

“This was not just an attack on healthcare workers, but an attack on the fabric of our society as a whole,” the report said.