Mumbai: Resident Doctors at JJ Hospital Stage Indefinite Strike, Patients Suffer Due to Lack of Services

Mumbai, 1st June 2023: J.J. Hospital’s Department of Ophthalmology, headed by Dr. Ragini Parekh, and Dr. Tatyarao Lahane, coordinator of the Cataract Free Maharashtra initiative, have been accused of violating National Medical Commission (NMC) rules by preventing resident doctors from performing surgeries.

In response, the resident doctors have initiated an indefinite strike since Wednesday evening, demanding various changes including transfers, salary issues for first-year residents, and pending dues for third-year residents. The impact of the strike was evident in the outpatient department, where patients faced long queues and immense hardship on Thursday morning.

The resident doctors at JJ Hospital called for an indefinite strike starting from 5 pM on May 31, asserting that they would not withdraw their strike until their demands were met. Despite the voluntary retirement announcement of Dr. Tatyarao Lahane and Dr. Ragini Parekh, along with seven other doctors from the Department of Ophthalmology, the strike of the resident doctors remained in effect.

Consequently, the outpatient department operated without resident doctors, burdening senior doctors and professors with the responsibility of patient care. However, due to the shortage of doctors, patient services were severely affected, leading to long queues and frustrated patients. Some patients, witnessing the crowded environment, had no choice but to return home. Several surgeries had to be postponed, and only a few critical procedures were conducted, causing significant inconvenience to patients.

Efforts are being made to provide health services through professors and senior doctors in the outpatient department to minimize patient difficulties. Pallavi Saple, Dean of JJ Hospital, reassured that appropriate measures were being taken to ensure patients received proper care despite the strike.