Hyderabad:Medical services were affected in several states on Wednesday after doctors of state-run hospitals joined a day-long strike called by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) to protest against the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill, 2019.
Passed by the Lok Sabha on Monday and awaiting clearance from the Rajya Sabha, the NMC Bill seeks to establish a new regulatory structure for medical services in India.
Doctors go on nationwide strike against National Medical Commission Bill Medical services affected in Punjab, Haryana
The impact of the strike was seen more in rural areas of both the states. In urban areas, private doctors too joined the strike.
Medical services in the out-patient departments (OPDs) were severely affected due to the strike.
Patients and their attendants said they were made to suffer due to the government's failure to resolve the issue amicably.
"Only the common man suffers because of the strike," Ajaib Singh, a resident of Bathinda town in Punjab who brought his father for treatment here, said.
Medical services were also badly hit in Chandigarh's Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) which caters to patients from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Chandigarh.
Doctors wear black badges in protest in Kerala
Protesting against the Bill, the doctors in the private hospitals in Kerala completely boycotted out-patient services, while those in state-run hospitals attended only to patients in the out-patient departments.
"The outpatient department in our hospital as well as in other private hospitals are closed, even though we are giving the desired medical attention to in-patients," said a senior doctor attached to a leading private hospital here.
Wednesday being a public holiday in Kerala, private medical colleges remained closed, while doctors in state-run colleges turned up for work wearing black badges.
Outpatient services hit in Telangana hospitals
Outpatient services at many Government and private hospitals in Telangana were hit today after doctors went on strike as part of a nationwide call by IMA for 24-hour withdrawal of non-essential services to protest passage of the National Medical Commission Bill.
Barring a few corporate hospitals, about 16,000 IMA member doctors and over 10,000 medical students participated in various forms of protests across the state. Emergency and in patient services were not affected as they were exempt from the strike.
Over 28000 medicos join the nationwide strike in Gujrat
More than 28,000 doctors in Gujarat joined the 24-hour nationwide strike against the passage of the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill 2019 in Lok Sabha, which seeks to replace the graft-tainted Medical Council of India (MCI).
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) had given a call for a 24-hour withdrawal of non-essential services across the country against the NMC bill, dubbing it "anti-poor, anti-student and anti-democratic".
Doctors' strike impacts services in Bihar hospitals
Medical services across Bihar suffered after doctors of hospitals, including AIIMS Patna, joined a day-long strike called by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) to protest against the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill, 2019.
Though emergency services have been kept out of the strike, patients were seen running from pillar to post.
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