Photo Credit: Indiatimes

Mumbai: After the Bombay High Court on Tuesday criticized the move of resident doctors going on mass casual leave across Maharashtra, Indian Medical Association (IMA) has extended its support to the striking doctors.

Nearly 4,000 doctors are on strike demanding efficient security after the recent attacks by enraged relatives of patients in Dhule, and Sion in Mumbai.

Hundreds of patients have been affected by the strike as several hospitals cancelled surgeries and shut OPDs.

Dr Parthiv Sanghvi, state secretary, IMA, said, “We have only one demand. The Supreme Court had clearly laid down protocols of providing security for doctors commensurate with the number of ICU beds, and this should be implemented.”

Dr Singhvi said the Doctors’ Protection Act, 2010, has stringent provisions, but the act has not been used widely by the police in cases of violence against doctors.

“The act makes any violence against a doctor in a medical care institution non-bailable, and has a provision for three years imprisonment with a Rs 50,000 fine. It also provides that attackers will be made to pay twice the compensation of the damage caused to the institution,” he said.

Last week, a Mumbai doctor, Dr Rahul Mhamunkar who was practicing in a Dhule government hospital was brutally beaten up by the relatives of an accident victim after he referred the patient to another facility. It is feared that the attack may have permanently damaged his left eye. T

he attack had prompted over 1,000 doctors from MARD and Indian Medical Association to stage an agitation at Azad Maidan on Friday morning.