Commoners' plight as doctors launch shutdown stir
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: February 16, 2023 -

IT is now crystal clear that doctor members of the All Manipur Health Services Doctors' Association (AMHSDA) are determined to make the government authorities accord importance to their demands while the establishment is under pressure to ensure that the healthcare sector does not collapse due to the doctors' agitation of suspending service and shutting down of healthcare centres.

Though the first day of the strike passed off without any ugly incident, there is remote chance of prevalence of the same serene environment in government hospitals if the agitation continues and the patients are deprived of basic services.

For over a week in November last, AMHSDA organised a series of sit-in demonstrations demanding fulfilment of their eightpoint demands centring on compatible salary, streamlining promotional provisions and bifurcation of administrative heads among others.

The sit-in was preceded by symbolic protest of donning black badges while still discharging duties at their respective place of duty.

Regardless of the medical professionals holding sit-ins in different districts to draw the attention of the government authorities, there were no response to either counter the Association's allegation of mistreatment or invite the aggrieved party for negotiation across the table.

The doctors ceased their noble service for they perceived it appropriate to fight for their rights in view of government's indecision on whether to cede to the demands or outrightly reject the same.

The situation was saved from getting aggravating after the government invited the agitating doctors in January this year to hold talks and iron the differences.

However, with the parleys unable to find an amicable settlement other than the government assuring to look into the demands, there were always the apprehension that the doctors would resume the agitation anytime if one takes note of the fact that in-spite of the medical professionals returning to work they had been reminded the government through press statements and media briefing that that the government must fulfil the demands at the earliest to avoid more intense movement.

As such, the latest phase of the doctors' agitation centring on abstention from duty and shutdown of government healthcare centres underscores that no amount of eulogising the role and contribution of the healthcare workers in tackling medical emergency and saving precious lives would suffice other than framing policies that could bring lasting solution to their grievances.

In their bid to give legitimacy to their movement, the doctors' body has halved their charter of demands to four, but the government, the Health Services Directorate, to be specific, responded by slapping illegal tag on their agitation.

As the hospital shutdown agitation in underway even as the prohibition order remains in force the government might be compelled to invoke relevant laws to penalise the doctors and the latter responding through intensification of the agitation.

Therefore, in case the feud between the doctors and the regime escalates it is the economically underprivileged section of the society who would suffer the most compared to the wealthier class who could afford treatment in any of the private hospitals and clinics, where, ironically, substantial number of government-salaried doctors render service most diligently.