Himachal Pradesh News
Shimla News : Doctors’ Mass Casual Leave Disrupts Health Services in Shimla, Patients Left Stranded
Healthcare services in Shimla and Una were disrupted as doctors went on mass casual leave to protest the termination of an IGMC doctor. OPDs were hit, surgeries postponed, while emergency services remained operational.
Health services at major hospitals in Shimla were severely disrupted on Thursday as members of the Resident Doctors Association (RDA) of Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (IGMC) and the Himachal Medical Officers Association (HMOA) proceeded on mass casual leave, causing widespread inconvenience to patients.
The decision, taken late on Wednesday evening, left many patients unaware of the disruption until they reached hospital premises. “I left my home in Rohru at 5 am to reach the hospital on time. I came to know about the strike only after arriving here,” said an irate patient.
With nearly half of the IGMC faculty already on winter vacation, the absence of resident doctors further strained the system, leaving only a handful of doctors available to attend to patients. “The least the doctors could have done was inform patients in advance. I have been here since 7 am and there is no doctor available,” said a patient from Kullu. “Disputes should be resolved without affecting healthcare services,” he added.
Several patients, including women accompanying sick children, expressed anger and helplessness. “I came to show a biopsy report, but there is no doctor. My child is in pain and I can’t even go elsewhere,” said one distressed mother. Owing to the mass leave, several scheduled surgeries were postponed.
Many patients also questioned the timing of the protest, particularly as Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had agreed to meet the doctors later in the day. “Why was it necessary to go on mass leave before meeting the Chief Minister? Patients have been made to suffer unnecessarily to build pressure on the government,” said another frustrated visitor.
Una district also affected
Health services were similarly paralysed across government health institutions in Una district, where doctors joined the protest against the termination of an IGMC doctor accused of manhandling a patient. Patients were seen waiting outside clinics at the Una District Hospital and other facilities without access to OPD services.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Sanjeev Verma said that routine healthcare services could not be provided as government doctors were on leave across the district. However, he clarified that emergency services continued to function in all institutions, including the district hospital.
He added that planned surgeries at the Una District Hospital were conducted as scheduled, and routine eye surgeries, which are held every Tuesday and Friday, were also carried out without disruption.
