Doctors to go on strike every month

Doctors in the city have decided to go on a strike on the 24th of every month, to protest against the lack of security for the mediacal fraternity.
On Tuesday, 800 doctors from the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) called a flash strike, after five doctors at KEM hospital were roughed up by the relatives of a patient after a delay in handing over the body.
The strike was called off on Tuesday evening after the BMC, which set up a two-member inquiry committee, gave in to the demands of the protesting doctors.
Dr Chandrakant Kenia, former president of the General Practitioners' Association, Greater Mumbai, said, "Relatives expects miracles, but we are doctors and certain things are out of our hands. But the relatives do not understand this. If the patient dies or something goes wrong, the relatives get agitated and attack us. But we are human beings too and no one has the right to beat us. We need protection and hence we are on strike."
The incident

The incident that triggered the protest occurred after an ailing Lalbaug resident, Vasudev Khochre (76), died within 20 minutes of being rushed to KEM. Family members, who lost their cool after having to wait for the body for over five hours, allegedly assaulted two doctors, Dr Sudhir Jadhav and Dr Sunil Kumar (who weren't associated with Vasudev's treatment), outside the mortuary.

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