12-hour Indian Medical Association strike fails to derail city's health services

As several OPD doctors were absent, some patients were sent to the emergency wards for treatment

Nanavati Hospital did not face any problems, its management said. File pic

In view of the 12-hour strike called by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Tuesday, several doctors remained absent from OPDs in Mumbai from 6 am to 6 pm. However, even with less staff, hospitals managed to treat outdoor patients with ease and in a hassle-free manner.

The national body of over 3 lakh doctors had called the strike to protest against the alleged undemocratic and bureaucratic National Medical Commission Bill. Over 40,000 member-doctors of IMA, Maharashtra, of which more than 14,000 are from Mumbai, were to remain absent from the OPDs for 12 hours on January 2.

Speaking to mid-day, Dr Rajendra Patankar, chief operating officer of Nanavati Hospital, said, "Though several doctors decided to stay away on Tuesday, patients didn't face much problem. We had the required staff to run the operations smoothly." Sources said that to meet the demand, some patients were even sent to the emergency wards for check-ups and treatment.

Huzaifa Shehabi, COO of Saifee Hospital, said, "As several doctors were not present, some patients were sent to the emergency ward. This helped in providing treatment faster and avoiding delay."

40,000
Total number of doctors part of IMA Maharashtra

14,000
Total number of member-doctors from Mumbai

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