NEW DELHI, 20 May 2003 — Doctors in the northeastern state of Bihar threatened to go on strike after the abduction of a top neurosurgeon in Patna.
Dr. Ramesh Chandra was kidnapped on Saturday night, shortly before a national conference for neurosurgeons was scheduled to begin in the state capital Patna.
“The government will try its best to get him back and make sure he doesn’t have to give ransom. We are worried about the growing incidence of kidnapping and embarrassed,” Bihar’s Health Minister Shakeel Ahmed said.
In February, 12 people, including six children, died unattended in a Patna hospital after doctors went on an indefinite strike to protest against the abduction of a colleague.
While the strike paralyzed health services across the state, the government failed to make arrangements for patients, particularly those in critical condition.
The kidnapped orthopedic surgeon, Bharat Singh, returned home unharmed two days later. He told reporters the strike had put pressure on his kidnappers.
