Junior doctors strike in MP, demand reservation of COVID-19 beds
Thousands of junior doctors in Madhya Pradesh today boycotted work, except COVID-19 duties, to raise several demands including free treatment for themselves and their families in case they contract the coronavirus. The doctors halted work at the Out Patient Departments (OPDs), the In-Patient Departments (IPDs), and some other wards of various health facilities across the BJP-ruled state. Here are more details on this.
'If demands not met, we'd withdraw from COVID-19 duties'
"If the written orders (complying with the demands) are not released by this evening, then we would be compelled to withdraw from COVID-19 duties across the state from June 1," MP Junior Doctors Association's President Arvind Meena told Press Trust of India.
What are the demands of the doctors?
The doctors have demanded that enough beds should be reserved for junior doctors and their family members in case they are infected with the coronavirus and such treatment should be free of cost. They also want an increment in their stipend, Meena told the news agency. The doctors' association has nearly 3,000 members from six medical colleges across the state.
A similar strike was held on May 6
A similar strike was organized on May 6 as well, however, the doctors resumed work soon after the government promised to meet their demands. "While the state government promised 24 days ago that our demands would be met, nothing has moved since," Meena said.
FORDA announced nationwide protest on June 1
Meanwhile, members of the Federation of Resident Doctors' Associations (FORDA) announced over the weekend that they would hold a nationwide protest on June 1 in response to Yoga guru Ramdev's recent controversial comments. In a viral video, Ramdev had said that modern medicine is a "stupid science" due to which lakhs of Indians died. Doctors objected to his statement and several complaints were lodged.
Hundreds of doctors have died due to COVID-19
Earlier this month, the Indian Medical Association announced that 420 doctors had died due to the coronavirus during India's deadly second wave of the pandemic. A hundred of these fatalities were reported in Delhi alone, it informed. During the first wave of the pandemic, the number of doctors who died of COVID-19 was 748, according to the IMA's data.
India's coronavirus crisis
India faced the word's worst coronavirus outbreak over the past couple of months, reporting lakhs of new infections and hundreds of deaths every day. Daily cases in India peaked at 4,14,000 just a few weeks ago. The situation has since improved - In the past 24 hours, the country logged 1.52 lakh new infections, the lowest surge in 50 days.
