Health services in Rajasthan hit as protesting resident doctors suspend all services

Jaipur: Health services in Rajasthan were impacted on Monday as resident doctors suspended all services over their unmet demands, including stipend hike and enhanced security measures at workplace.

The protesting doctors, who resumed their strike on Saturday, are also demanding better hostel facilities and direct job recruitment on the basis of merit for postgraduate and super-speciality doctors.

A representative of Jaipur Association of Resident Doctors (JARD) said that during talks with them in August, the administration had assured that their demands would be fulfilled.

However, due to inaction, the doctors are now compelled to shut down all services, the representative said.

"We have come a long way in our fight for justice, but even after 12 days of protest, we are compelled to shut down all services with a heavy heart due to the administration's continued inaction," JARD president Manohar Siyol said.

Siyol said the resident doctors' demands include a hike in stipend and a fixed annual increment in the remuneration, merit-based direct recruitment for postgraduate and super-speciality doctors, enhanced safety at workplace and better hostel facilities.

Currently, job recruitment for PG and super-speciality doctors are made on the basis of exams and interviews conducted by Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC).

The resident doctors, who resumed the strike on October 19 evening, boycotted services in outpatient departments (OPD) and emergency services such as in-patient departments (IPD), operation theatres and labour room in almost all government hospitals of the state.

"We had been peacefully registering our protest in support of our demands for the last 12 days by boycotting elective services at the SMS hospital but the government showed no active involvement," Dr Siyol had said on Saturday night while resuming the strike.

The resident doctors went on a strike in August this year against the rape and murder of a doctor in Kolkata but they had resumed work after the state health minister formed a committee to look into the demands.