Resident doctors at JJ Hospital are likely to call off their strike today as the Maharashtra Education and Drug Department (MEDD) has accepted the voluntary retirement letter of head of the ophthalmology department Dr Ragini Parekh, and the resignation of ex-dean Dr TP Lahane. All honorary doctors have been relieved from their duties after they submitted their resignations. Dr Lahane, meanwhile, has also been sacked as the ‘coordinator’ of Maharashtra’s Preventable Blindness Free Mission.
About the resident doctors' protest
The protest by resident doctors started on May 25 when 28 juniors in the ophthalmology department lodged complaints against Dr Parekh and Dr Lahane, alleging lack of opportunity to operate, non-involvement in academic and research activities, and unpleasant and obscene language directed towards them.
JJ Hospital dean Dr Pallavi Saple formed a three-member committee to investigate the allegations, which were found to be true. It was revealed that the department was being run in a dictatorial way contrary to numerous National Medical Commission (NMC) regulations. However, senior doctors refuted all allegations and nine of them tendered their resignations to MEDD and Dr Saple.
VRS application of Dr Ragini Parekh approved
An official said, “We have approved the VRS application of Dr Ragini Parekh and she has been relieved from the government service from June 3.
However Dr Parekh needs to follow some conditions, which include that she cannot apply for partial instalment of pension before expiry of three-month notice period.”
As per the new order, Dr Ravi Chauhan, associate professor of ophthalmology department at Indira Gandhi Govt Medical College, Nagpur, has been appointed as HOD of JJ ophthalmology department.
Dr Lahane, meanwhile, said, “All allegations made against us were false and we resigned as we could not take such humiliation even after serving for the last 30 years and performing surgeries with good intent. We have, however, decided to accept the order and will not work at JJ Hospital ever.”
