Doctors in Himachal Pradesh continued their strike on Sunday in protest against the dismissal of Senior Resident Dr. Raghav Narula following an assault incident at Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC). Medical students and doctors gathered at the badminton hall of the Atal Auditorium at IGMC on Sunday, where they condemned the doctor’s dismissal as unjust and demanded justice from the state government for what they called a unilateral action. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu appealed to the doctors to end their strike and return to work on Monday. He said that he would discuss the matter with senior doctors at IGMC, and a thorough investigation would be conducted, and the decision would be reviewed.
Resident doctors at medical colleges, along with the Himachal Medical Officers Association (MOH), are on strike, while SEMDICOT is supporting the strike. As a result, health services were affected on Saturday at all medical colleges, zonal hospitals, and Community Health Centers (CHCs) and Primary Health Centers (PHCs) across the state.
In many places, patients could not be examined in the OPD (Outpatient Department), and several surgeries were postponed. Patients in hospitals faced considerable difficulties. Patients and their attendants who had come from remote areas were particularly inconvenienced. Although senior doctors provided services in the OPD, patients had to wait for hours. Meanwhile, the government has issued a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to ensure the smooth functioning of emergency services in hospitals. The leave of all medical college principals, additional directors, and medical superintendents has been cancelled, and they have been instructed to remain present at the hospital. Senior and specialist doctors (consultants) have been directed to attend the OPD. Meanwhile, the striking doctors remained adamant on Saturday, demanding that the decision to dismiss Dr. Raghav Narula be reversed.
According to the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) issued by the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER), emergency services will remain fully operational. Junior and senior residents and faculty will be available 24 hours a day. Consultant doctors will be required to be present in the OPD (Outpatient Department) for OPD and ward services. Admitted patients must be given top priority. Daily ward rounds have been made mandatory. Routine operations in the operation theater will be suspended; only emergency surgeries will be performed.
Radiology services such as X-rays, ultrasounds, CT scans, and MRIs will be prioritized for emergency and admitted patients. Laboratory services such as pathology, biochemistry, and microbiology labs will continue to function without interruption. Academic activities should not be affected under any circumstances. The studies, training, and examinations of MBBS students will continue.
All heads of departments have been instructed to prepare duty rosters for consultants for OPD, IPD (Inpatient Department), and emergency services. The principals, additional directors, and medical superintendents of medical colleges have been ordered not to take leave during this period and to remain available at the colleges. The principals will conduct a daily review with all heads of departments at 4 PM and send a report to the DMER.
A warning has also been issued that disciplinary action will be taken under the rules against anyone who violates these instructions or disrupts essential services. Director of Health Services, Dr. Gopal Beri, said that emergency services will not be affected. Reports have been sought from all hospitals regarding the strike situation and its impact on patients.
Health Minister Dhani Ram Shandil said that doctors should not go on strike. He suggested that the doctors might be doing this to exert pressure. He clarified that he is not against anyone’s services or career. His priority is ensuring healthcare facilities for the people. The Health Minister took feedback from the Director of Health Services. He stated that emergency services would not be affected. Every health institution will prepare a daily report detailing how many doctors are working at each institution and who is not. Any negligence in emergency services will not be tolerated. Upon the Chief Minister’s return from Delhi, he himself will arrange a meeting between the doctors and the Chief Minister. He personally believes that the matter could have been resolved if they had quietly come and apologized.
Doctors chanted slogans at IGMC
Resident doctors, interns, and medical students who have gone on an indefinite strike chanted slogans on Saturday around noon at the badminton court of the Atal Auditorium building, demanding the reinstatement of the dismissed doctor. These hundreds of doctors, gathered under the leadership of the RDA, showed their solidarity by raising slogans like “We want justice…”, “Give us respect, then take our services…”.
Resident doctors, interns, and medical students who have gone on an indefinite strike gathered at the badminton court of the Atal Auditorium building on Saturday around noon and chanted slogans demanding the reinstatement of the dismissed doctor. Hundreds of doctors, led by the Resident Doctors’ Association (RDA), showed their solidarity by shouting slogans like “We want justice,” and “Give us respect, then take our services.” They announced that their protest would continue until the dismissal orders were revoked. Resident doctors will only provide emergency services in the hospitals; services in wards and OPDs will remain suspended.
Addressing the residents and interns, RDA President Dr. Sohel Sharma said that the unfortunate incident at IGMC and the subsequent action taken solely against the doctor have damaged the reputation of the medical profession and the institution. The decision to suspend the doctor in just six hours and dismiss him within 48 hours sends the message that only the doctor was to blame, whereas any incident of violence has two sides. A unilateral decision was taken against the doctor without a thorough investigation of the matter.
They demanded that the government reverse the decision and reinstate the doctor, and ensure the safety of doctors in hospitals. They said that this dismissal would make it difficult for doctors to treat patients, as anyone could threaten them. They stated that the decision to dismiss Dr. Narula was unjust. Therefore, the government should reconsider the decision, withdraw the dismissal orders, and ensure the safety of doctors in hospitals. A decision should have been made only after a thorough investigation into the matter. They said that their strike would continue until the demands of the Resident Doctors’ Association (RDA) are met. This strike is being fully supported by the Medical Officers Association and the RDAs of all medical colleges.
The incident occurred on Monday at 12:00 PM, when Arjun underwent a bronchoscopy test at the hospital. Afterward, he lay down on an empty bed in the Pulmonary Medicine department ward. At that time, Senior Resident Doctor Raghav Narula arrived and asked the patient for his X-ray and other documents. During this interaction, an argument ensued between the two parties, which escalated into a physical altercation. In the complaint filed with the police, both sides have accused each other of assault and misbehavior.
