Arunachal health services paralysed amidst strike by doctors, nurses associations

Itanagar, Sep 12 (PTI) Panic and distress gripped patients across Arunachal Pradesh on Friday as hospitals shut down for 48 hours in protest against the assault on two doctors, leaving only emergency services operational, officials said.

Families carrying sick children and elderly patients lined up outside emergency wards from early morning, while some were forced to travel long distances in search of functioning facilities.

Routine consultations, diagnostic tests, and non-emergency treatments were suspended, leaving thousands of residents struggling for timely medical care.

The shutdown was called by doctors’ and nurses’ associations in protest against the assault on two doctors at Tomo Riba Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (TRIHMS) in Naharlagun on Thursday.

The attack occurred in the ENT ward when a 28-year-old man, reportedly dissatisfied with the treatment provided to a patient known to him, struck Dr Arvind Pusha, a senior paediatric resident, from behind with an iron rod and repeatedly punched and kicked him.

When Dr Tam Tariang, another senior resident, intervened, the assailant attacked him too, inflicting grievous injuries.

Both doctors are undergoing treatment at TRIHMS, while the attacker has been arrested and an investigation is underway.

In response to the incident, the TRIHMS Faculty Association, Indian Medical Association (IMA) Arunachal branch, Arunachal Pradesh Doctors’ Association (APDA), and Trained Nurses’ Association of India (TNAI) Arunachal Pradesh branch issued a joint statement on Thursday evening, announcing the 48-hour closure of all government and private hospital services, except emergency care.

They also submitted a memorandum to the state government demanding immediate measures to ensure a safe working environment for healthcare staff, warning that the next steps in their agitation would depend on the government’s response.

"We do not want to call strikes and agitate, but the circumstances have forced us to do so. We are sad, we are scared," Dr Rinchin Dorjee Megeji, senior cardiologist and president of the TRIHMS Faculty Association, told reporters on Friday.

The associations have called for permanent security arrangements in hospitals and the augmentation of nursing staff in state-run facilities to protect healthcare workers from potential threats.

Meanwhile, the All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) appealed to doctors and nurses to end the strike, highlighting the risk to innocent patients.

In a statement, AAPSU warned that any loss of life due to the lack of medical care during the shutdown would be the sole responsibility of the striking staff.

The union urged both the government and the medical fraternity to hold urgent discussions to resolve the crisis and prevent a full-scale healthcare emergency. PTI UPL UPL MNB