Punched in OT, Threatened with Death: Violence Sparks Total Strike at Bihar’s Largest Hospital

Junior doctors at PMCH, Patna have declared a complete indefinite strike, shutting down all major services including OPD, Emergency, and Elective Surgeries. This has paralyzed healthcare delivery at Bihar’s largest state-run hospital.

The strike was triggered by two back-to-back incidents of violence within 72 hours:

Case 1: A Neuro-Surgery resident was punched in the head inside the Operation Theatre by a patient’s attendant earlier this week.

Case 2: Yesterday (Dec 3), a female junior doctor was verbally abused and faced death threats from the family of a deceased patient, who allegedly claimed they were “locals” and would kill her.

The Junior Doctors Association (JDA) has stated they will not return to work until specific safety conditions are met:

• Deployment of armed security guards inside all wards and sensitive zones
• Registration of mandatory institutional FIRs (police complaints filed by the hospital administration, not the student) for every assault case.
• Immediate arrest of the culprits involved in the recent abuse.

Recent Updates: Reports indicate the JDA agreed to call off the strike late on Wednesday night (Dec 3) after the patient’s family submitted a written apology and the administration promised enhanced security.