600 Resident doctors of Sassoon hospital go on strike over deplorable hostel facility

Mumbai: After warning of an indefinite strike, the resident doctors of the state government and Mumbai Municipal Corporation have started their agitation as almost 600 resident doctors of Sassoon General Hospital have gone on strike under the banner of the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD). 

The doctors have been experiencing extreme difficulty due to the deplorable condition of the hospitals in JJ hospital also. Doctors affiliated with MARD in Miraj, Kolhapur, Sangil, and Latur have also staged protests demanding better living conditions for them and immediate recruitment of sufficient doctors.

Announcing an indefinite strike, the resident doctors informed that mosquito eggs have been found in the drinking water tank of students in JJ hostel. To support the strike, over 5,000 MARD doctors from across Maharashtra supported the strike, reports Hindustan Times.

The medicos are scared to drink water from the cooler in the BMS hostel. Despite complaining about this water tank, the administration has not taken any action. Due to lack of cleanliness in various hostel buildings, resident doctors have developed skin diseases like fungal infections.

Moreover, rats enter the room in the evening. There is no sense of hours while rendering patient care. After the body is tired, there is no chance of good sleep. Doctors are also facing increasing problems with leptospirosis, malaria and dengue. Only 100 beds are available on eight floors in the old residential building.

There are almost 300 resident doctors live in these areas. Approximately 80 resident doctors reside in the BMS building and approximately 90 female resident doctors reside in the RMO Colony building. While there is room for only three to five doctors in a room, actually six to eight doctors sleep on mats on the floor. Even though the old RMO building is under construction, water is actually leaking in some areas, reports Hindusthan Post. 

" We often lodged complaints with the JJ hospital administration regarding the hostel. But Mard's doctor regretted that no decision has been taken on it yet. A room fan fell on a doctor in the month of November. The doctor narrowly escaped the accident. There is no electricity facility outside the premises of the building. The sewage from the building is lying outside on the street. The resident doctor also asked how to live in such a smelly place", stated one of the protesting doctors. 

Medical Dialogues team had earlier reported that the MARD doctors had warned of going on strike from January 2 if their demands for the creation of 1432 posts of senior resident doctors and payment of pending dues of dearness allowances from October 16, 2018, are not met. 

"The creation of 1,432 posts of senior resident doctors is our first demand. If the proposal for the same is still pending with the state government, then why did it have the policy of bonded service for resident doctors passing out from government-run colleges," the association stated.