Junior doctors insist on continuing the strike till their exact demands are met. “We want our stipend at par with the Central Residency Scheme, which is adopted by many states,” said Dr Anil Dudhabhate, MARD secretary.
From Friday, resident doctors from the BMC’s 14 peripheral hospitals will join the strike along with third-year students of Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Science (BAMS) and Dental College.
There will be some relief for patients. MARD doctors at civic-run King Edward Memorial Hospital, Sion Hospital and B Y L Nair Hospital, and the state-run JJ Hospital will run parallel outpatient departments outside those hospitals.
“Our OPDs had 6,026 patients today; normally there are around 10,000. Nearly 400 senior doctors are on duty in the peripheral hospitals. Emergencies and deliveries are a priority,” said Dr Seema Malik, chief medical superintendent of the peripheral hospitals.
Despite contingency plans, hospitals on Thursday turned away patients and discharged others. “Only serious patients are still admitted. The wards are almost deserted,” said a source at JJ Hospital.
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