Elective services in Government hospitals in Delhi remained closed on Tuesday for the second day as resident doctors’ continued protesting while raising slogans of ‘No safety, no duty’ and ‘justice for victims’ in the hospital premises over the recent rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata.
The protests in different hospitals across the city including centrally-run facilities All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital and Safdarjung Hospital have paralysed services such as OPDs (out-patient departments) and non-emergency surgeries.
Meanwhile, AIIMS Delhi has warned its protesting resident doctors against holding any demonstration on or around the hospital campus stating it was in violation of High Court directions and amounts to contempt of court.
The stir was in response to a call from the Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA), which said, “The strike will not be lifted until justice is served and our demands are met.”
The association on Monday announced an extension of its indefinite strike after a meeting with Union health ministry officials failed to reach any resolution. FORDA president Aviral Mathur announced after the meeting that the strike would continue on Tuesday.
“I, along with the association members and doctors, met with the Union health minister’s team on Monday. Since no resolution was reached regarding the demands, the strike will continue for another day,” Mathur said clarifying emergency services would continue to function.
However, the strike has also caused patients who are travelling from different corners of the country to get treated in the city disappointed as people reeling from serious medical conditions had to return without getting any treatment.
A 47-year-old patient from Chhattisgarh’s Raipur who travelled to Delhi for treatment at the AIIMS due to severe chest pain and breathing difficulties had to return home without receiving care as the doctors continued their indefinite strike. A hospital staff member at the AIIMS said that only patients with prior appointments were being treated while the doctors were on strike.
A female patient, who travelled from Raipur for her check-up, had been receiving treatment for a long time and needed to return for her follow-up due to chest pain and breathing issues. “I have been a cardiology patient here for a long time and I travelled from Raipur as I’ve been experiencing chest pain and breathing issues,” she said.
