AGARTALA: Doctors and other staff members of Tripura government hospitals, on strike since beating up of a surgeon on Thursday, called off the protest on Saturday following intervention of the high court and the state government.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA), the All Tripura Government Doctors’ Association (ATGDA) and the nurses’ organisations, spearheading the agitation since Thursday, announced the withdrawal.
“We are withdrawing our agitation as the government has taken steps to provide security to doctors in hospitals and has promised action against the accused,” IMA Tripura chapter Secretary Kanak Chowdhury said.
He said Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb at a meeting with leaders of the IMA and the ATGDA on Friday said armed securitymen would be deployed in hospitals.
The IMA and the ATGDA also urged the government to take steps to fast track cases against those responsible for 11 attacks on doctors in the past one year. Satisfactory health services could not be possible due to shortages of doctors and inadequate infrastructure, they added.
In an unprecedented move, Tripura High Court Chief Justice Sanjay Karol at a special hearing on Friday stayed a lower court order granting bail to the five accused, arrested by the police in connection with attack on surgeon Dipankar Debnath.
Justice Karol ordered the accused would remain in jail till April 24, the next date of hearing in the case.
Law and Education Minister Ratan Lal Nath said the Chief Justice heard the case at 10 p.m. on Friday and stayed the order of the first class judicial magistrate court.
Dr Debnath was assaulted early Thursday after a pregnant woman died at the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital. He is under treatment at the Govind Ballabh Pant Medical College and Hospital, where his condition is said to be “out of danger”.
In another development, Health Minister Sudip Roy Barman surrendered his security to protest attacks on doctors and other medical staffs in the government hospitals.
Barman in a letter to the Chief Minister, a copy of which is available with IANS, said: “The government doctors and other health staffs in the government hospitals are feeling insecure.” He requested the Chief Minister to direct the police to take action against accused of attacking doctors in the past one year. IANS