SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Aug 23: Normal health services have resumed at all six Jharkhand medical colleges as Senior Residents, junior doctors, and interns returned to the OPD (Outpatient Department) on Friday morning, ending an eight-day boycott.
Doctors at RIMS Ranchi resumed duties late Thursday evening, while those at the other five medical colleges—MGMMCH Jamshedpur, SNMMCH Dhanbad, PJMCH Dumka, SBMCH Hazaribagh, and MMCH Palamu—restarted attending the OPDs today.
The boycott was initially sparked on August 14 in protest against the brutal murder and rape of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata. The agitating doctors demanded improved safety measures and protection.
The Junior Doctors Association (JDA) RIMS Ranchi led the boycott stir supported by the IMA Junior Doctors Network (JDN), IMA, JHSA and other medical organisations.
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Boycott ends on Supreme Court’s request
Dr Ankit Kumar, President of the Junior Doctors Association (JDA) at RIMS Ranchi, announced on Friday morning that the boycott was called off following a request from the Supreme Court. The decision came after a meeting on Thursday evening where the JDA resolved to end the strike and resume services.
“We had gone on agitation not for pleasure. We know poor patients face sheer hardship from our boycott. So, keeping all options in mind, especially the Supreme Court request we decided to call off the agitation,” said JDA president Dr Ankit Kumar.
Dr Kumar noted that the boycott was driven by widespread anger among medical professionals over the Kolkata incident, reflecting a heightened sense of insecurity. The doctors’ main goal was to secure a safer environment in hospitals to prevent such incidents in the future.
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Concerns over safety measures
Despite the return to work, a senior JDA official expressed concerns about the ongoing safety measures in the medical colleges.
A senior office bearer of the JDA said that though they returned to OPDs at the request of the Supreme Court, the safety mechanism is still not visible in hospitals of any medical colleges in the state.
“In the name of security a few police personnel have been deployed but how long they will continue is a million-dollar question,” he said.
