Patna: Healthcare services at Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) remain crippled as the strike by junior doctors entered its second day, leaving hundreds of patients and their families stranded without treatment. The closure of Outpatient Department (OPD) services has forced many to return home disappointed after traveling long distances for medical care.
Despite a meeting between a five-member delegation of the Junior Doctors Association (JDA) and the Health Secretary on Tuesday, no agreement could be reached. The JDA pressed for immediate government action on its six-point charter of demands, but the hours-long discussions ended without any breakthrough.
“The government must take our demands seriously and implement them at the earliest. Until then, non-emergency services will remain closed,” said JDA President Satyam Kumar. He warned that if the government continued to remain indifferent, junior doctors would be compelled to escalate the agitation by extending the work boycott to emergency services as well.
The ongoing strike has added to the woes of patients. Scenes of helplessness and frustration were visible in the hospital corridors as people waited in vain for medical assistance. Families who had come from remote areas expressed anger over the lack of clarity on when services would resume.
Authorities have yet to announce the next round of negotiations. Meanwhile, with OPD services suspended and the possibility of emergency services being affected, patients and their attendants remain in a state of uncertainty.
