Private hospitals across Rajasthan halt OPD services over director’s arrest in RGHS case

Jaipur: Private hospitals across Rajasthan suspended outpatient services on Wednesday after the Indian Medical Association (IMA) Rajasthan called a 24-hour statewide shutdown to protest the arrest of Dr Somdev Bansal, director of Jaipur’s Nivik Hospital. The strike ran from 8 am on April 14 to 8 am on April 15, with several hospitals also closing their emergency services.

Dr Bansal was arrested by Jaipur police on April 12 on charges of forgery. According to police, he allegedly tampered with patient documents under the Rajasthan Government Health Scheme (RGHS) and uploaded incorrect information on the scheme’s website.

The impact was most visible on OPD services at private hospitals in Jaipur, Kota, Alwar, Udaipur and other cities, where doctors did not sit in their chambers and turned away new patients. Treatment for already admitted (IPD) patients continued. In Jaipur, major hospitals including C.K. Birla, Saket and Fortis kept OPD services fully shut, with notices pasted at the gates informing patients that services were closed for a day. Several hospitals also kept emergency services shut and directed patients to government facilities.

Patients were seen making enquiries at reception counters before heading to government hospitals for treatment. Kota heart surgeon Dr Palkesh said the arrest had been made in the wrong manner, describing the action as a symbolic strike and warning that doctors would continue to agitate.

The shutdown was finalised at an emergency meeting in Jaipur on Monday convened by the IMA, the Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association and other doctors’ bodies. The three demands are: the unconditional release of Dr Sondev Bansal; an immediate resolution of issues linked to RGHS through a committee of doctors; and the release of nine to ten months of pending RGHS dues to hospital accounts so that staff salaries can be paid on time.

IMA Rajasthan president Dr Anand Gupta said arresting doctors for minor lapses was not acceptable and warned that an indefinite strike could follow if the government maintained its stance. He added that most hospitals in the state were facing severe hardship because dues of the past nine to ten months under the state health scheme had not been cleared.

IMA Alwar president Dr Vijaypal said the medical board constituted in the case had not found any medical negligence, and argued that criminal action against a reputed doctor on the basis of alleged minor irregularities linked to RGHS was unjustified and affected the morale of the wider medical community. Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association president Dr Vijay Kapoor and IMA secretary Dr N.K. Agrawal said the agitation would continue until Dr Bansal was released and the RGHS issues resolved.

With government hospitals running OPD only till 9 am on Wednesday due to a public holiday, and private hospitals shut, crowds at state-run facilities rose through the day.