more-in Mumbai: Despite giving an undertaking to the Bombay High Court last year, around 4,000 resident doctors across Maharashtra went on strike in protest against attacks on two doctors, one at a public hospital in Dhule and the other at Sion Hospital on Saturday. On May 4, 2016 a representative of the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) had filed an affidavit in the HC stating the body will not resort to strikes. It also said that in 2015, there have been at least five instances in which resident doctors have been attacked by the patient’s family and were verbally abused for no fault of theirs. It said in spite of knowing the dangers doctors face, the State government is yet to come up with an action plan to prevent such incidents. Advocate Datta Mane said there was a breach of the undertaking given to the court by MARD, and sought the court’s direction for the strike to be called off immediately. The matter will be heard at length on Tuesday before the Chief Justice. A public interest litigation (PIL) filed by RTI activist Afak Anwar Mandaviya came up before a Division Bench of Justices Ranjit More and Shalini Phansalkar-Joshi on Monday. The PIL said MARD supported the strike by doctors last year and sought criminal action against them. The PIL claimed that during April 4-6, 13 patients had died at JJ Hospital because of the strike and between April 8 and April 9, 28 patients had died including 11 in Aurangabad and eight in Ambejogai, four each in Nanded and Yavatmal and one in Sangli. Last year, the State had also filed an affidavit after stating they have increased police cover at hospitals to prevent attacks on doctors when they are on strike. It gave details of police personnel deployed at State- and civic-run hospitals. It said at hospitals like JJ, Sion, St. George’s, GT and Nair, two policemen each were posted for security, while four policemen have been posted in KEM Hospital.

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