Himachal doctors announce mass leave today, threaten strike over Shimla doc’s termination for assaulting patient

• Doctors in Himachal to go on mass leave Friday, threaten strike from Saturday
• Strike demands reinstatement of Dr Raghav Narula after termination over scuffle
• IGMC to halt routine services; emergency services to continue amid protest.

Did our AI summary help?

Doctors in Himachal Pradesh have announced a mass casual leave on Friday and threatened an indefinite strike from Saturday if the state government does not reinstate a senior resident doctor whose services were terminated.

The dispute centers on Dr Raghav Narula (31), whose employment at Shimla’s Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) was ended following an altercation with a patient.

The state government terminated Dr Narula after an internal inquiry found him guilty of misconduct and misbehavior. The decision followed a widely circulated video from December 22, showing Dr Narula in a physical scuffle with a patient, identified as Arjun Pawar (36) from Chopal.

Shimla Police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) under Sections 125(a), 115(2), and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. The IGMC inquiry committee concluded that both the doctor and the patient shared responsibility for the altercation.

Doctors’ protest and strike plans from Dec 27

Following the termination, the Himachal Medical Officers’ Association (HMOA) announced a one-day mass casual leave on Friday. The Resident Doctors’ Association (RDA) of IGMC also issued a warning of a strike starting Saturday if the termination order is not revoked.

RDA president Dr Sohil Sharma said the association plans to meet the Chief Minister on December 26 to discuss the issue. “Resident doctors will take a one-day casual leave on December 26. If our demands are not met, we will be forced to go on strike from December 27 at 9.30 am,” he said.

Dr Sharma clarified that emergency services will continue, but routine services, outpatient departments (OPDs), and elective operation theatres will remain closed during the protest. This could significantly impact patient care at IGMC, one of Himachal Pradesh’s largest hospitals and a major referral center.

Security concerns at IGMC

The RDA also raised concerns about security lapses at IGMC. In a statement, the association demanded a comprehensive review of deficiencies in CCTV coverage and the failure to implement prior security measures at the hospital.

"A comprehensive review and accountability assessment is demanded regarding the previously reported deficiencies in CCTV coverage and the failure to implement security measures at IGMC Shimla, despite prior analysis of the shortcomings," the statement said.