Services were adversely affected in several government hospitals across the city when resident doctors, who form the bulk of the workforce in Delhi Hospitals, struck work this Friday morning. Helpless patients in over nine government medical establishments were left with no doctors to attend to them.
The doctors on strike are demanding better security, sufficient supply of essential drugs, equipments and other consumables besides measures to prevent communicable diseases and better patient to bed ratio. The group is also demanding that salaries of senior and junior residents be released on time.
Trouble started when earlier this month a resident doctor in Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital was manhandled by relatives of a patient. The doctors here went on strike demanding better security. Extending their solidarity, resident doctors in government hospitals, including RML Hospital, Maulana Azad Medical College, Safdarjung, Lady Hardinge, Hindu Rao, Ambedkar Hospital, Deen Dayal Upadhyay, Maharishi Valmiki Hospital, struck work, stating that neither hospital authorities nor State government was paying heed to their requests.
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Meanwhile, on Friday, the strike entered its fifth day at Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, in East Delhi, paralysing OPD services at the hospital.
“A doctor was allegedly manhandled while on duty after which we decided to go on strike demanding better security at work place. We met the Health Minister and also spoke to the hospital authorities earlier this week but the meetings were inconclusive. Hence, we had to seek help of our colleagues in other hospitals to tell the government that we cannot function in this adverse condition,” said a resident doctor at GTB Hospital.
Dr. Anshuman Raheja, secretary, Resident Doctors’ Association, GTB Hospital, explained that medical staff in the hospital cannot work without additional security and a safe working environment. “We are not asking for luxury. We just want adequate security so that we are not harassed and manhandled. Besides these, we are demanding that there be adequate supply and stock of lifesaving drugs, personal protective equipment and that salaries be paid on time,’’ he noted.
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The resident doctors have maintained that they have repeatedly appealed to the hospital administration and the State Health Department about the lack of basic amenities in the hospital premises.
“We simply had no other way out. The apathy of the hospital administration and state government has caused us to take this drastic action. We doctors are left to bear the brunt of lack of security, medicines and equipment,’’ noted a doctor from a government hospital.
The doctors also said that in case their demands are not looked into and agreed upon they will go an indefinite strike from Monday.