Set up committee to look into resident doctors' woes: Bombay HC

Resident doctors protest outside KEM hospital in Parel in March this year. Pics/Shadab Khan

The Bombay High Court on Monday said that the Maharashtra government should consider setting up a high power committee to look into the grievances of resident doctors in the state-run hospitals to ensure that they do not resort to strikes.

A division bench of Chief Justice Manjula Chellur and Justice GS Kulkarni was hearing a public interest litigation filed by activist Afak Mandaviya against a strike called by the doctors in March. Nearly 4,000 doctors had stayed away from work during the strike, demanding an enhanced security for themselves in the wake of a string of attacks on their colleagues by the relatives of patients at government hospitals across the
state.

The bench was today informed by Additional Government Pleader Milind More that security was strengthened at all the hospitals and it was decided that daily meetings would be held between the resident doctors and hospital managements. "We want the government to set up a high power committee to address the grievances of the resident doctors. Once the committee is formed, all the problems will be solved," said
Chief Justice Chellur.

More told the court that he would take instructions from the government department concerned and inform the court on the next date of hearing.
He also submitted CCTV footages of two incidents, where the resident doctors of Dhule and Thane civil hospitals were allegedly attacked by the relatives of patients. The court said it would keep the CDs containing the footages with a sealed report until the next date of hearing in June.