Patna: With the junior doctors’ strike in Bihar entering its eighth day today, more than 56 people have so far lost their life and patients continue to suffer. Amid the tussle between the doctors' and administration, the patients who need urgent medical attention and surgery are at the receiving end as the health services in all the nine medical colleges and hospitals across the state continue to be badly hit.
On the seventh day, complete chaos and mismanagement was found at Patna premium hospital (PMCH) and other medical colleges across the state. Neither the association nor the administration are ready to bow down despite the government issuing the order to take punitive action against the striking doctors.
Several surgeries and dialysis are pending in different medical colleges and hospitals due to strike. Attendees who are accompanying their respective patient expressed their pain over the ongoing strike.
“Major fracture in the leg of my patient took place but treatment has stopped ever since the strike has been announced as no body has visited the ward to look after the condition of the patient admitted," said Chitranjan Das at PMCH.
Another person, Ram Parvesh Kumar echoed the same and said, “The spinal cord of my father was broken and it's been five days of surgery but no doctor came to see him. He is really in pain and needs urgent medical attention.”
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There are several such examples in the PMCH and other medical colleges where patients are eagerly waiting for the doctor. So far 123 patients have got admitted in the surgical emergency ward of PMCH.
Due to strike the workload on other staff has increased manifold and with the shortage of manpower, it's taking more than an hour to admit a patient.
It's been seven days that no doctor has visited the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) where patients in critical condition are admitted. PMCH established in 1925 has the reputation of saving life even in critical conditions but the last one week episode has made things really ugly.
The condition is so pathetic that now the patients are moving towards private hospitals. But, everyone cannot afford the fee structure so many are still hopeful that tussle will get over soon.
A man from Kishanganj district is admitted in the ICU of Burn Care and amputation was carried out but so far no surgery has taken place due to ongoing strike of junior doctors. It's been ten days, only dressing is being done.
Ram Narayan Prasad from East Champaran has recommendation letters from local MP and BJP state president Sanjay Jaiswal but that too did not bring any relief to him. Prasad's wife Sushma Devi is admitted in the ICU of PMCH and there is urgent need of surgery but no respite.
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Kundan Suman, secretary Junior Doctors' Association Bihar said, “We will continue our indefinite strike until the government gives us written assurance to fulfill our demands to increase the stipend. The government of Bihar should understand that how badly the strike is affecting and if things are not sorted out early then it's repercussion would be ubiquitous. It seems, the government's attitude is arrogant towards doctors and does not want to make any amicable decision over the issue."
Despite all the chaos, the treatment of COVID-19 has not been hampered anywhere.
