Outpatient department (OPD) services across Jharkhand are set to be disrupted on Saturday.

A joint call of the Indian Medical Association’s (IMA) Jharkhand chapter and theJharkhand Health Services Association (JHSA) will paralyse OPDs at government, private and corporate hospitals across Jharkhand for 12 hours from 7am on Saturday to demand a fair probe into the suicide of Dr Archana Sharma, a Ranchi-born doctor who used to serve in Rajasthan.

“We have given a call to all the doctors, be it government, private and those serving in corporate hospitals, to join the agitation for the implementation of the Medical Protection Act in Jharkhand and also demand a fair probe into the suicide of a gold-medallist from RIMS Dr Archana Sharma, a gynaecologist in Rajasthan, a few days back,” said IMA Jharkhand secretary Dr Pradeep Singh.

According to sources in IMA Jharkhand, there are nearly 1,600 doctors in Jharkhand government hospitals who would be joining the strike. Over 8,000 private doctors have also agreed to join the strike.

“Usually the doctors in corporate hospitals do not join such agitations but they too will join this time. The situation is getting out of hand and the situation is not better in Jharkhand with doctors constantly facing threats from patients’ relatives. We demand that the Medical Protection Act be implemented at the earliest in the state,” Singh said.

The IMA senior official, however, said emergency and inpatients services would not be hampered in the hospitals across Jharkhand.

“The Supreme Court has directed that Section 302 cannot be imposed on doctors. There is a direction to constitute an inquiry committee even before making an FIR, but this is not happening. The Jharkhand government should take steps before similar incident happens in the state too,” said Singh referring to the criminal case lodged against Dr Archana for death of a patient that allegedly led her to mental trauma and eventually suicide.

President of the Junior Doctors’ Association Dr Vikas Kumar said there should be a fair investigation into this entire incident.

A protest procession was taken out at Ranchi on Friday evening.

According to reports, Dr Sharma, a topper of RIMS and a resident of Ranchi working in Rajasthan, had a case of murder under Section 302 registered against her in connection with the death of a patient during treatment. After this incident, the Rajasthan government arrested some local leaders and suspended the police personnel who had imposed this section on the doctor.