February 19, 2025

Junior Doctors at MMCH Strike in Protest Against Suspension of 12 Colleagues Over Medical Negligence

In protest to the suspension of 12 physicians, including six postgraduate trainees, junior physicians at the Midnapore Medical College and Hospital (MMCH) in West Bengal initiated an indefinite cease-work on January 17, 2025. Following the death of one lady and the critical condition of three others after childbirth, the West Bengal government ordered the suspension. The purported injection of expired intravenous (IV) fluids was identified as the cause of their illness. The doctors were held accountable by the government for medical negligence, and the accusations were supported by findings from an expert committee and the state CID.

The hospital’s Medical Superintendent and Vice Principal, the department head, the Resident Medical Officer (RMO), one senior resident, and six postgraduate trainee physicians are among the 12 physicians who have been suspended. Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister, affirmed that the suspensions were due to negligence, which she said caused other patients’ illnesses and untimely deaths. Banerjee further declared that investigations would continue and that a formal complaint will be made against the doctors. The state administration stopped using IV fluids and a number of other medications made by a specific business in all state-run hospitals as a precaution.

Junior physicians, especially those in the departments of anesthesia and obstetrical-gynecological care (OBGN), started a complete work stoppage in protest. They said that the suspension was an effort by the state government to deflect criticism away from problems including bad medication reactions and persistent corruption in the health department. The junior medics showed support for their suspended colleagues and emphasized that the suspension decision was ignoring the true problems. They hoped that the authorities would change their minds and referred to the action as a “moral crisis” for the medical community.

The cease-work rapidly gained traction, and younger physicians from all throughout the hospital joined in the demonstration, calling for the suspension order to be lifted. Doctors contend that the suspension was a scapegoat for more serious systemic concerns, and the continued unrest has drawn attention to the state’s healthcare system’s larger problems of corruption and poor management.

The quality of care provided in government hospitals, the responsibility of medical personnel, and the role of the government in resolving problems in the healthcare system are all topics of discussion in light of this tragedy. It has also brought attention to the conflicts that exist between the state administration and medical personnel about how to deal with corruption and medical malpractice.

 

 

 

 

SOURCE :

THE HINDU

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