After Dr Atul Kumar, a senior faculty and head of Rajendra Prasad Ophthalmic Eye Centre at All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) apologised for allegedly slapping a junior doctor,
AIIMS Resident Doctors Association (RDA) have called off the strike. “We requested director to keep Monday as working day. We residents are feeling sorry for whatever happened and we want to compensate in every possible way,” they said.
The strike had created history as no OPDs/ surgeries were conducted at the premier medical institute for the past two days. An estimated 20,000 patients visit AIIMS every day, the failure of AIIMS administration had come on the lives of poor patients who were not getting any healthcare facilities. The junior doctor (victim) identified as Dr Mutha has gone missing and the situation in AIIMS had turned very serious and has crippled healthcare facilities.
Sources said, “Earlier after the apology tendered by Dr Atul Kumar to the junior doctors and administration, the RDA should have called off the strike. Where is the victim and why is he not speaking upIJ Can’t he see that things are getting worse at AIIMS and patients are not getting the treatment.” However, the resident doctors remained adamant that the administration should suspend a senior doctor who had allegedly slapped one of their colleagues in front of patients and other staff.
As a result routine surgeries remained cancelled, out-patient clinics functioned in a restricted manner and patients seeking OPD consultation were sent back. However only the emergency and ICU services functioned. The hospital administration has put in place a contingency plan for patient-care services, as a part of which faculty-on-call in all clinical departments have to physically man the in-patient wards.
As per the information, Dr Atul Kumar has tendered a written apology for assaulting the resident doctor and proceeded on leave on the directions of an internal probe panel. The resident doctors, who have been on the protest strike since Thursday evening, paid no heed to AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria’s appeal to call off their strike and return to work.
“OPD services will function on restricted basis till such a time that normalcy is restored. Only follow-up patients with prior appointment will be registered in OPD. New Patients OPD registration will be done as per availability of faculty in respective OPD as decided by Head of Department/Unit concerned. No walk-in registration (new and old) will be done,” an order issued by the administration stated.
In a letter to Guleria, the Resident Doctors Association (RDA) has alleged that the senior doctor slapped a senior resident in front of attendees, nursing staff and colleagues, and that the resident doctor was in depression. The RDA said an atmosphere of fear existed in the department headed by the senior doctor, and that nobody protested as the chief threatened to fail the junior doctors.
The RDA has written to Union Health Minister J P Nadda, who is also the president of AIIMS, seeking revocation of Padmashree and Dr BC Roy awards to the senior doctor. “We request you to consider revoking his Dr B C Roy and Padmashree awards, as we believe that he is not worthy of holding such prestigious awards,” RDA wrote in their letter.