All 15 nominees for the district unit of Indian Medical Association (IMA), who were declared elected unopposed after scrutiny of nomination papers on Saturday, were provided certificates on Sunday by chief electoral officer H.K. Singh during an event at Red Cross Society Bhavan in Dhanbad.

More than 100 doctors, including IMA state president A.K. Singh, were present at the event.

Most of the old committee members of 2018-20 retained their posts in the new panel as only a single nomination was received for all 15 posts.

B.K. Singh, a retired BCCL officer, who retained the president’s post for the second consecutive time, after receiving the certificate, said: “The committee will try to provide best healthcare facility to the common people and at the same time try to secure better working conditions for doctors by pressing for provisions of implementation of medical protection act. We have high hopes from the new government and we will press for our demands to ensure greater security of doctors.”

Anaesthetist Sushil Kumar said: “The working style of the new government has generated hope among the doctors that it will also look into the concerns of the medical fraternity in the state.”

“Reports of increased attack against doctors and incidents of vandalism in hospitals are desisting doctors from outside the state to join the health institutions of Jharkhand, which further adds to the pitiable state of affairs of the government-run hospitals and institutions here,” said Sushil, adding that since doctors in government hospitals are vulnerable to attacks from patients’ kin, most doctors now prefer corporate hospitals rather than government ones.

The health infrastructure in the state is in a shambles everywhere, including in Dhanbad, and the acute shortage of doctors often leads to pitiable condition of the government-run health institutions, including medical colleges, sadar hospitals, primary health centres and community health centres.