JAMMU, July 16: Junior doctors at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMC&H), Jammu, went on an indefinite strike on Wednesday after a doctor on duty was allegedly manhandled by attendants in the Emergency Ward of the hospital.
The incident occurred following the death of a patient, Narinder Sharma, a resident of Rehari, Jammu. He had been shifted from PGI Chandigarh and was on a ventilator for the past four days. After his passing, attendants reportedly attacked the doctor on duty, triggering immediate outrage among the junior medical staff.
In response to the strike, GMC Principal and Dean, Dr. Ashutosh Gupta, directed all Clinical and Para-clinical Heads of Departments (HoDs) to deploy faculty members and consultants in the Emergency Ward to ensure that patient care continues uninterrupted.
“We are holding talks with the striking doctors to get them back on duty, but so far there has been no breakthrough,” Dr. Gupta told Rising Kashmir.
Despite the registration of an FIR, no arrests have been made so far. The junior doctors have demanded the immediate arrest of those involved in the attack and have vowed not to return to work until action is taken.
This is not the first such incident at GMC Jammu. There have been repeated cases of attendants arguing with and assaulting doctors, despite the administration’s efforts to enhance security measures in sensitive areas like the Emergency Ward.
The incident has once again raised serious concerns about the safety of healthcare workers and the need for stricter enforcement of protective protocols in government hospitals.
