Patients suffer as doctors' strike partly affects Bengal

Patients in some state-run hospitals of West Bengal suffered on Wednesday following a nationwide call for strike given by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) to protest against the National Medical Commission Bill, 2019.

Adhering to IMA's call for boycotting non-essential services, doctors stayed away from providing services at out-patient departments (OPDs). However, normal functioning in many hospitals was not affected by the strike.

As a mark of protest, services in the OPDs were completely stalled in Calcutta National Medical College while other hospitals protested for a few hours.

A patient who had suffered burn injuries had to return home without any treatment as the OPD was shut in Malda Medical College and Hospital.

"My husband who had suffered burn injury did not get any treatment today. They asked me to avail emergency services but I don't have that much money," Minoti Ghosh, the patient's wife, said.

On the other hand, the services in the private hospital of Kolkata were unaffected. 

Patients waiting in long queues at Seth Sukhlal Karnani Memorial Hospital, Murshidabad Medical College, and others faced trouble while R. G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital, and some others kept the services normal.

Passed by the Lok Sabha on Monday and awaiting clearance from the Rajya Sabha, the NMC Bill seeks to establish a new regulatory structure for medical services in India. IANS