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Journalism of Courage
One slap by an irate relative on a resident doctor in Mumbai8217;s King Edward Memorial Hospital and, in a matter of hours, 2,000 resident doctors from 10 hospitals in the city were ready to go on strike. As the strike entered its ninth day on Tuesday that number went up to around 3,500 doctors in 36 hospitals and medical colleges all over the state. By the eighth day the civic body and the state government had collectively issued termination orders to more than 700 doctors. But even that does not seem to have deterred the striking doctors.
Right from the first ever Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors strike MARD, which took place in KEM hospital in 1969, the core issues have been the same: living conditions, salary and duty hours. One doctor attends to approximately 100 patients in out-patients department and around 80 admitted patients on a daily basis. Approximately six doctors live in one room, with bed-bugs, unclean water, a 24X7 week and the constant threat of work-related illnesses. And all this for Rs 8,000 a month. After the 8217;69 strike that lasted for 16 days in KEM hospital, the administration agreed to accede to the demands for new residential quarters and a pay hike changed from Rs 157 to Rs 412 per month. While the core issues remained the same, till the late 8217;90s, there was one strike every three to four years. There were only five strikes since the early 8217;80s to the late 8217;90s.
Under the central residency scheme ruling stated by the Supreme Court of India, all resident doctors are eligible for a payscale of Rs 18,000, 20,000 and 21,000 in the first, second and third year respectively. Except for Maharashtra, all states in India abide by this ruling. The government, in its turn, maintains that resident doctors in Maharashtra are registered with the University of Mumbai and the payscale is fixed according to the guidelines set by the university. The government also maintains that the residents are essentially students, and residentship is part of their curriculum. They have no right to make such demands. Suresh Shetty, state minister of medical education minister, said in the wake of the recent strike that strikes on the part of the doctors was akin to blackmail and that they should understand that their education is sponsored by public money 8212; they have to pay only 18,000 per year while the government puts in Rs 4 lakh.
However, resident doctors are an essential part of hospital functioning, where they are required to work as part of their training. When residents go on strike 8212; each hospital has around 500-700 resident doctors 8212; the system collapses. The lecturers, assistant professors and professors, who are called in as replacements are too few to shoulder the burden. In Mumbai, patients who even come from other states are being turned away since the strike began. And even as many patients have made the hospitals their homes, waiting for the strike to get over, MARD is slowly getting support from resident doctor associations all over India. The Delhi Federation of Resident Doctors and Haryana State Resident Doctors have also issued notices that they will join the strike if the demands of the MARD residents are not fulfilled. Calls are pouring in from associations in Assam, Jharkhand, Bihar, UP, MP, West Bengal, Gujarat, AP, TN and J038;K in full support of the strike.
Interestingly, even the Indian Medical Association has come to the support of the striking doctors. On Monday it gave a 24-hour deadline to the state government to withdraw it 8220;repressive measures8221; and settle the issue. Meanwhile, the doctors themselves seem to be in no mood to compromise. Of course, it is the hapless patient who is left to suffer in this stalemate.
