Dehradun: Medical services goes for a toss as clinics shut, private docs protest

Dehradun: Healthcare services remained severely affected in the city as hundreds of private doctors went for a total shut-down here on Friday. While most of the private hospitals opened their emergency services, private clinics remained shut for the entire day, causing additional burden on government hospitals. The indefinite strike will continue on Saturday.

Agitated over the ‘failure’ of the state government to bring about changes suggested by the Indian Medical Assoiation (IMA) in the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010, and forcing the doctors to opt the Uttarakhand Healthcare Act, a majority of private doctors in Dehradun kept their OPDs and hospitals closed.

Many private hospitals also discharged there patients who were showing signs of improvement.

“I had come here to get my sugar test done. But because of the strike, even the laboratories were closed,” said Saumya Chauhan (29), who was visiting a pathology near the Government Doon Medical College and Hospital.

Unaware about the strike, many people also turned up at hospitals and later returned empty handed.

“My father was complaining of pain in heart since last night so I brought him for check-up. But when I reached the doctor’s clinic, I learnt that the OPD is closed today,” said Kaushal Garg, a resident of Dalanwala, who was visiting a private doctor near EC Road.

IMA state secretary Dr DD Choudhury said their strike would continue until the government pay heed to their demands.

The IMA also demanded that the national and state health programs like Aysuhman Bharat and Atal Ayushman Yojana should be kept as an optional feature and no clinical establishment act should force private doctors to adopt them.

Meanwhile, Kailash Hospital, Shree Mahant Indresh Hospital, Combined Medical Institute (CMI) and Apollo Hospital had their OPD and emergency services open.

Talking about rush in government hospitals in light o strike, chief medical officer Dehradun, SK Gupta told TOI, “The situation was under control as the health department was already alerted of the strike by the private doctors.”

He further said that government hospitals have been asked to submit a report to record how many patients with critical illness were turned away by private clinics due to shut down.