Patna: A 48-hour strike by junior doctors in Bihar ended after the state government offered written assurances addressing their long-standing demands.
The Junior Doctors’ Association (JDA) announced the immediate resumption of services following negotiations with the Health Department and officials at Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH). Routine medical services at PMCH, Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH) and Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital (JLNMCH), which had been severely disrupted, are now expected to return to normal.
JDA president Satyem Kumar said the decision to strike had not been taken lightly. “Patient welfare was our priority, not the strike,” he said, adding that frustration over years of unmet promises and repeated verbal assurances from the government had left junior doctors with no alternative but to take action.
After two days of negotiations, the government agreed in writing to meet the doctors’ four-point demand. Kumar described the outcome as the culmination of “years of hard work” and said there was relief and joy among junior doctors.
The stoppage had taken a heavy toll on patients, many of whom had travelled long distances only to be turned away. Families reported considerable hardship, with some patients forced to return home without receiving treatment.
