Doctors in Bihar town continue strike after ‘assault by DM’s security’

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) said the strike would continue till Bhojpur DM Sanjeev Kumar is transferred.

A row between the Bhojpur District Magistrate and Ara’s Sadar Hospital doctors over attendance through video conferencing and the alleged assault of doctors by the DM’s security personnel has crippled health services in Ara with doctors going on strike for the second day on Thursday.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) said the strike would continue till Bhojpur DM Sanjeev Kumar is transferred. The IMA said that doctors had no problem with complying with biometric attendance system, introduced recently at hospitals in the state.

The doctors’ body added that the DM was acting “in an arbitrary manner by introducing attendance through video conferencing” at the Sadar Hospital in Ara. The IMA also accused the DM of “insulting doctors” by getting his security guards to bring Dr T Ansari of Sadar Hospital to his residence “forcibly”.

Reacting to the allegations, Bhojpur DM Sanjeev Kumar said, “Whatever I have done is to ensure overall health reforms to deal with absenteeism after I received complaints from patients. Some doctors have made it a prestige issue”.