Patna

The strike by junior doctors in Bihar has significantly disrupted healthcare services across the state. In solidarity with the medical community’s outrage over the recent rape and murder of a trainee female doctor in Kolkata, major government medical colleges and hospitals have halted their operations.

The strike, supported by the Indian Medical Association (IMA), has resulted in the suspension of outpatient and emergency services at prominent institutions, including Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH), Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS), and AIIMS Patna.

The IMA is demanding better safety measures for healthcare workers, such as stricter security protocols at hospitals akin to airport standards, and the introduction of protective legislation. They also seek adequate compensation for the victim’s family in Kolkata and stronger support for medical professionals.

The strike has caused a severe crisis, especially affecting poor patients who rely on government hospitals for their medical needs. Notices at PMCH and other facilities inform patients about the halted services, and similar disruptions are reported at Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) in Muzaffarpur and Jawahar Lal Nehru Medical College and Hospital (JLNMCH) in Bhagalpur.

Patients, like Ram Sewak from Madhepura, who had traveled for a scheduled surgery, are left in uncertainty due to the closure of services. Many are anxiously waiting for the strike to end so they can receive necessary medical care.