Manipur doctors to cease work after colleague's murder

Healthcare facilities in Manipur will come to a halt Wednesday when doctors go on a daylong strike to protest the killing of a colleague by unidentified gunmen.

"We shall resort to a daylong cease work Wednesday and also stage a three-hour sit-in demonstration to protest the killing of our colleague Huidrom Binodkumar," A. Dwijamani, president of the Manipur chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), told IANS.

Binodkumar, 60, former chief medical officer of Bishnupur district hospital, was found murdered on the outskirts of capital Imphal Oct 22.

"Doctors are constantly being harassed and threatened by various groups and we feel we are not safe. The murder of one of our colleagues further aggravated our concerns and fears," Dwijamani said.

The IMA held an emergency general body meeting Sunday and condemned the incident. It also demanded adequate security to doctors and other healthcare workers in the state.

Doctors at both government and private hospitals would remain off duty Wednesday, although they have decided to attend to emergency calls.

Meanwhile, educational institutions in the state continue to remain closed since Sep 9 with various groups demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh following charges of a string of fake shootouts.

Last updated on Oct 26^th, 2009 at 11:28 am IST--IANS