Doctors in Bihar Observe Strike Against Killing of Colleague in Nalanda

Patna: Thousands of doctors joined a day-long strike in Bihar on Saturday to protest against killing of a doctor, paralysing health services across the state.

The agitating doctors, under the banner of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Bihar chapter and the Bihar Health Services Association (BHSA), observed the 12-hour strike to protest against killing and demanded adequate security to doctors, Bimal Karak, president of IMA, Bihar, said.

BHSA general secretary Ranjeet Kumar said all government doctors had abstained from outdoor patient department services in protest.

The strike was triggered by the killing of Priyaranjan Kumar Priyadarshi, a government doctor posted at a Primary Health Centre (PHC) at Gokhilpur in Nalanda district. He was shot dead in broad daylight by motorcycle-borne criminals on Thursday, when he was on his way to work. The incident angered the medical fraternity of Nalanda, the home district of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who never misses a chance to claim that crime is totally under control.

Priyadarshi was a close relative of former Janata Dal (United) MLA, Sunil Kumar.

On Saturday, hundreds of patients were disappointed and returned from the government-run Patna Medical College and Hospital, other government-run hospitals, district hospitals, block hospitals and PHCs.

Saturday was the second day of medical services being paralysed in Nalanda after doctors struck work. Doctors, including private ones, staged protests, dharnas and even blocked roads, demanding compensation to the victim’s family and the arrest of Priyadarshi’s assailants.

“The killing of a doctor has exposed the reality that law and order has collapsed in the district. Criminals are free to target anyone and murder them,” said former district IMA president, Suneeti Sinha.

Sinha said doctors would continue their agitation till the assailant was arrested by the police and until the administration provided them with adequate security.

IMA and BHSA have demanded immediate arrest of criminals behind killing and a compensation of Rs 5 crore to the victim’s family and a government job to one of his dependents.

IMA has reiterated its demand to provide arms licence to doctors and provide security to private and government health centres .This is an old demand as doctors have been soft target of criminals and in view of rising crime rate in the state.