Medical doctors in India are on strike: a moral and national conundrum

Health services across north New Delhi, the capital city of India, have come to a standstill over the last week, with doctors from Hindu Rao Hospital going on an indefinite hunger strike since 23 October 2020 amid a global health crisis due to COVID-191 in response to unpaid wages. Similar non-payment of salary for the last 16 months led Karnataka doctors to strike in July 2020. Strikes by medical doctors in India are not unknown but these seem to have become a moral and national problem. Increasing reports of violence against doctors, fear of being sued and inadequate security provided to doctors in hospitals have traditionally been the causes of regional or national strikes.2–4 COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated violence against doctors and healthcare workers.5 Apart from violence against the doctors, increasing reservation in the jobs based on caste or...
Source: Postgraduate Medical Journal - Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Letter Source Type: research