Bihar’s junior doctors end strike; legislator surrenders

PATNA - Junior doctors of Bihar’s six hospitals ended their indefinite strike Friday after the legislator involved in an attack on medicos surrendered in the court and was sent to judicial custody for 14 days.

An official said the strike caused the death of over a dozen patients under treatment, but the government has not confirmed it.

Hundreds of junior doctors from six medical colleges were on strike since Monday demanding the arrest of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) legislator Surendra Prasad Yadav and the enforcement of the Medical Protection Act.

The strike began after three interns of Anugrah Narain Magadh Medical College in Gaya, about 100 km from here, were injured Sunday night when security guards of Yadav fired at them after a scuffle over the treatment of a woman patient.

Police have arrested the two bodyguards who fired at the interns.

Yadav surrendered in the court and was sent to judicial custody for 14 days Friday.

The striking doctors were from the Nalanda, Patna, Bhagalpur, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur and Anugrah Narain Magadh medical college hospitals.

“Over a dozen patients have died in the last 24 hours due to lack of doctors and treatment in the hospital,” an official said.

The official said that absence of doctors in the emergency wards had led to most of the deaths. However, the government is yet to officially confirm any death due to the doctors’ strike.

Earlier, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi had appealed to the striking junior doctors to end their agitation and resume work.

Negotiations between striking doctors and the authorities had failed Thursday.

Most of the wards of the hospitals wore a deserted look as hundreds of patients were forced to shift to private nursing homes.