Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 2: After suspending work for over 24 hours, junior doctors called off their strike and resumed their duties at Government Medical College (GMC) and Shri Maharaja Gulab Singh (SMGS) hospital (GMCH) here today.
The doctors resumed their duties on the assurance of the Minister for Medical Education, Youth Services and Sports, Taj Mohi-ud-Din. Minister said that their safety and security is his prime concern and any breach in this regard will not be tolerated.
Minister also informed JDA leaders during meeting that their security concern have been taken care of and necessary steps in this regard have been taken including constitution of the high level committee which will work out doctors concerns and furnish report within five days.
Later, Junior Doctors Association (JDA) held a meeting, which was attended by Dr Sandeep Singh, president, Dr Vinod Khajuria, vice president, Dr Anchal Kotwal, general secretary, Dr Satyender Singh, ex-president, Dr Arban, Dr Nittal and other junior doctors. During the meeting, the junior doctors decided to call off their strike and returned back on the work in both GMC and SMGS hospitals.
As reported earlier, the three junior doctors and a nurse were manhandled and assaulted by the aggrieved relatives of Farooq Khan (45), son of Sakhi Mohd, resident of tehsil Mendhar, district Poonch, who died in the hospital due to alleged negligence by the doctors.
The relatives alleged that doctors’ negligence is the main reason behind Farooq Khan’s death, as no doctor was there in the hospital, when the condition of the deceased deteriorated. After struggling for life for more than one hour, he breathed his last, they added.
The irate mob manhandled and assaulted three junior doctors and a nurse and also ransacked the furniture and records.
After the entire episode the junior doctors went on strike leaving the patients to God’s mercy due to which the patients suffered a lot while many of them were immediately shifted by their kin to private clinics after sensing that the situation may take a serious turn.