Pune: For 58-year-old Kailash Borde, undergoing treatment for lung cancer at Sassoon General Hospital , the resident doctors’ strike has hit him at the worst possible time. For the last six days, Borde had been trying in vain for an appointment to install a polydrain meant to collect the drainage fluid from the thoracic cavity. “I was admitted to ward 18 on Aug 2, but when my breathlessness got worse, they shifted me to the new building on Aug 8.
Over the past week, only a senior doctor has been visiting me a few minutes. The polydrain was to be installed last week, but we got it done only on Monday evening. The bag is to drain out the fluids from my lungs,” he said.
Like Borde, many patients have had to face major inconvenience as the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) on Aug 13 declared to boycot all elective services at hospitals in solidarity with those protesting the rape-murder of a second-year postgraduate trainee at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata. Sassoon hospital’s outpatient departments (OPDs), in-patient departments and diagnostics have been severely affected while all planned surgeries have been put on hold. However, data obtained from the hospital administration, shows there has been no decline in number of people visiting OPDs, which is adding to the burden of existing staff.
Most of the wards in the 11-storey building wear a deserted look as no new patients have been admitted for a week. The female ophthalmology ward had to be shut as there were no new patients, while the male ward has only one patient. The paediatric and pulmonology wards also have many beds vacant since most patients have been discharged.
Patients also said they were asked to take an early discharge without complete recovery. Beed resident Somnath Mahadev Chambare's father, who accompanied the patient at the Infosys building ward number 3, said, “My son has undergone neurosurgery since he was paralysed after an accident and his spine was injured. He is still not able to walk, and doctors say it will take some time till he recovers fully.
However, on Saturday, the doctors who came to see my son asked us to take an early discharge despite the fact that he was suffering from fever and diarrhoea. Only after we protested, they let us stay.” Vinod Rajguru (28), who underwent a leg surgery, had to wait outside the X-ray room on Monday for more than two hours because no doctor was available.
“We have come from Kondhwa. Since 4.30 pm, we had been waiting and there was no one to attend to us.
Finally, by 7 pm, we got an appointment,” he said. Dr Yallapa Jadhav, medical superintendent of the hospital, said, "It is true that the strike has affected our admissions and OPD services. However, we are trying to manage with the existing manpower like lecturers and professors.
Some of the residents are working but they are not enough to manage the load that the hospital takes every day. We are not denying emergency services." Dr Shivaji Munde, president, MARD chapter, BJ Medical College (attached to Sassoon hospital), said, “The protest is likely to be extended further because even within this week, two incidents of assault by relatives have occurred — in Mumbai and Solapur.
We want a permanent solution. The govt must take a call on the safety of doctors and make a decision fast because we are not happy with the inconvenience caused to patients. But we are supporting the Central MARD.
” On Monday evening, the Central MARD issued a press statement saying that the strike will continue..
