Private doctors go on strike in Vadodara

Vadodara, Mar 18 (UNI) Health services in the city were severely affected today following a one-day strike by more than 2,000 private medical doctors.

The call for the strike was given by the Indian Medical Association Vadodara chapter to protest against manhandling of a senior surgeon by NSUI city president Jaha Bharwad and relatives of a patient after he allegedly died due to a doctor's negligence on March 15 last.

Except SSG Civil Hospital, all the private nursing homes and clinics, numbering about 4,000, remained closed. Most of the pharmaceuticals were also closed as a mark of protest.

In view of the private doctors' strike, SSG Hospital authorities had taken all possible measures to cope with the rush of patients. The doctors at the SSG Hospital, however, wore black badges to express their solidarity with the striking doctors.

In the afternoon, the striking doctors took out a rally from Gandhi Nagar Gruh to the Kothi Building and submitted a memorandum to District Collector Rajiv Topno, demanding stringent action against all those culprits who went on a rampage in the Om hospital and beat up Dr Lalit Macchar.

They also demanded security to the doctors and other medical staff from the patients' kin as there was a rise in such incidents in hospitals.

On the basis of the doctor's complaint and clippings of the close-circuit TV installed in the hospital, police yesterday arrested Mr Bharwad and seven other relatives of the 20-year-old deceased, Baliram Chauhan. Later, Mr Bharwad was remanded to police custody for a day, while others were sent to seven days of judicial custody.

UNI SS RN JT HT1910