Signing you in

The IMA has decided to suspend all routine healthcare services across the state for 24 hours, from 6 a.m. on July 20 to 6 a.m. on July 21.

The protest has received support from practitioners of allopathy, ayurveda, homeopathy and other systems of medicine, along with various medical associations, nursing associations, paramedical staff, healthcare workers and several organisations associated with the healthcare sector, according to an official statement issued on Friday.

Former IMA national president Dr Ravi Wankhedkar said the incident had become a rallying point for the medical fraternity. “There are 50,000 doctors in the IMA, and this incident has just been a trigger. Violence against healthcare professionals while they are discharging their duties is not merely an attack on individuals but an attack on the entire healthcare system,” Wankhedkar said. During the protest, all routine outpatient department (OPD) services will remain closed, while elective surgeries and other routine medical services will be suspended. However, emergency services, Intensive Care Units (ICUs), maternity services and all life-saving treatments will continue uninterrupted.

In its statement, the IMA said the protest was not against patients but was aimed at making healthcare services free from violence, ensuring justice for victims and securing a safe, dignified and fearless working environment for doctors, nurses, paramedical staff and other healthcare workers.

“Safe healthcare workers mean safe patient care. Therefore, this movement is not against any individual but is for justice, safety and a quality healthcare system,” the statement said.

According to doctors, the incident followed a dispute over referring a pregnant woman to another hospital after they informed her family that the newborn might require NICU care. As all NICU beds at the civic hospital were occupied, they advised shifting the patient if specialised neonatal treatment became necessary. Doctors alleged that Mhatre and his supporters then entered the hospital and assaulted a woman doctor, two other doctors and three nurses.

The alleged assault sparked nationwide outrage after videos of the incident were widely circulated on social media. Mhatre was granted bail in the case on July 14.