Following the violent assault on doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers at Shastrinagar Municipal Hospital in Dombivli, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) of Maharashtra has announced a 24-hour statewide suspension of routine medical services on July 20, 2026.
The IMA has urged government to take strict action against all those involved in the assault, without any political interference and to amend the Maharashtra Medicare Act to prevent violence against healthcare workers.
“The involvement of persons holding political office in such brutal attacks undermines democratic values, the rule of law, and public confidence in the justice system. The Government must ensure that there is no political interference in this case and deliver prompt justice to the victims through fair and stringent action against the culprits,” said IMA representative Santosh Kulkarni.
The IMA also raised concerns that the provisions of the Act should include mandatory registration of FIRs, classification of serious assaults and offenses involving the use of weapons as cognizable and non-bailable, completion of investigations within 30 to 60 days, disposal of cases through fast-track courts, and effective provisions for compensation and recovery of damages.
The doctors’ protest comes in the wake of an attack on a doctor, during which Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) corporator Ramesh Mhatre and several supporters allegedly assaulted doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff at the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation-run Shastrinagar Hospital. The corporator allegedly charged at a doctor over the unavailability of a bed in the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for a newborn.
The medical services will be closed from 6:00 a.m. on July 20 to 6:00 a.m. on July 21. Routine OPD services and elective procedures will remain suspended. However, emergency services, ICUs, maternity services, and all life-saving treatments will continue as usual.
The other demands include, round-the-clock security arrangements in all government and private hospitals, strict implementation of a Zero Tolerance Against Healthcare Violence policy, a comprehensive Central law to protect healthcare workers across the country, and increased investment to strengthen public healthcare infrastructure.
Published - July 18, 2026 09:12 am IST