Four die in Bihar hospital as strike cripples medical services

Four patients died in a Bihar hospital Thursday as health services were crippled due to the ongoing indefinite strike by the government employees including health officials, officials said Friday.

A young woman who had just given birth, was one of the four patients who died due to lack of treatment at Jawahar Lal Nehru medical college and hospital in Bhagalpur district.

Official sources said Nisha Devi, in her 20s, died due to excess bleeding following child-birth in the absence of proper treatment. She was admitted to the hospital Thursday morning. Three other patients also died due to lack of medical attention.

The functioning of the state government offices including the health department have been hit by the ongoing indefinite strike by government employees, which continued for the 24th day Friday, officials here said.

"The strike has crippled medical services across the state, which has most hit poor people who have no money to go to private hospitals for treatment," an official of the state health department admitted.

Reports reaching here from different district headquarters say functioning of hospitals has been affected due to the strike.

More than 300,000 government employees went on strike in Bihar, demanding implementation of the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission in "letter and spirit", after the failure of talks with Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, who also holds the finance portfolio.

Modi, who refused to accept the demands because of a funds crunch, has ruled out any possibility of the state government negotiating with the striking employees.

Earlier this week, when employees refused demands to return to work, the government hinted at disciplinary action against the strikers.

It has also served them with show-cause notices and officials said action could be taken against those who do not reply to the notices. link