Although resident doctors ended their strike on Thursday night, the day was marked by notable protests at Mayo Hospital. On Thursday, resident doctors conducted outpatient departments (OPDs) in the open on the hospital grounds. The symbolic gesture was a response to the recent crime committed against a doctor in Kolkata. As per local daily report, Dr. Bal Gangadhar, president of the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) at Mayo, explained, “We held OPDs on the footpath to show how unsafe hospitals in India have become.
“In Kolkata, a crime was committed as if the doctor was on the road. So why not start OPDs by the roadside?” Over 100 doctors took part in the roadside OPD protest, treating approximately 150 patients in various specialties including medicine, surgery, orthopaedics, and paediatrics. Dr. Shravya Gupta, vice president of MARD at Mayo Hospital, stated, “We held four OPDs on the roadside. Nearly 150 patients came to us.”
Dr. Pooja Sai highlighted the symbolic aspect of the protest, stating, “Are we really safe within the walls of our hospital? Since the crime occurred within a hospital’s premises, what is the need for four walls?”
Meanwhile, nurses who joined the strike on Wednesday continued to work on Thursday, wearing black armbands. Although they had initially planned to stop work for one hour daily starting August 25, the strike has been called off, making the protest unnecessary. Earlier in the day, Dr. Vikas Mahatme, director of AIIMS Nagpur, and Dr. Prashant Joshi, executive director, met with the striking doctors. Resident doctors at AIIMS Nagpur also ended their strike on Thursday night, following a plea from the Chief Justice of India.
The residents at AIIMS have also requested a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the institution to allow the formation of a Resident Doctors’ Association, as AIIMS Nagpur previously did not have such an association.