GMC Nagpur: 350 Resident Doctors get Suspension orders for strike demanding Security, others threaten to join in

Nagpur: Around 350 Resident Doctors at the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), have now received a termination notice after they refused to call off their strike demanding additional security at the medical college.

While demand for more security guards has been there for a long time, the security issues at the medical college indeed became blatant when the naked body of a murdered woman was found lying in the bushes adjacent to the hospital’s ward on Saturday morning. This coupled with the fact that Maharshtra Security Force (MSF) guards have already been on strike at the college since the past 20 days, led the insecure medical college residents call a mass-bunk demanding the authorities to take action. It is reported that the emergency services were not affected by the strike

The authorities, after 4 days of doctor strike, have now given termination notice to 350 resident doctors working with the medical colllege hospital

Dr Pradeep Kaswan, president of the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD), GMCH Nagpur told Asian Age, “We need security guards at GMCH for our safety. That is our major demand. We have been given suspension letters but we are having meetings with Mr Mahajan and directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER). We want everything in writing or else will be continue with our strike,” he said.

Dr Abhimanyu Niswade, GMCH Dean announced that 25 new security guard appointments have already been made.The appointments follow the meeting between DMER, Joint Director, Dr Prakash Wakode with the Deans and Resident doctors, on Monday afternoon.

The residents said, "Even during the meeting, we were given assurances, but Dr Wakode was not ready to give it in writing. Later, he warned us that if we don't resume work, we would be terminated just like those security guards."

Resident doctors, however, are clear that work would only be resumed after their demands are met.

Dr Niswade speaking to TOI said, "GMCH was without security guards at no point of time. Apart from the 68 guards appointed by the state this year, there are 40-odd guards who have been given the duty since the beginning. Even when the 68 guards were terminated, the other 40 were still working. It's time that the residents resumed their duty."

The striking doctors at GMCH have received support from their counterparts from GMC Yavatmal, doctors in Sion, KEM and Nair hospital as well as B J Government Medical College and Sassoon General hospital in Pune.

"We declare a mass bunk if termination letters are not withdrawn within 24 hours,” the letter from the resident doctors at Yavatmal read.