PGIMS doctors go on strike; Director puts in his papers

ROHTAK: The resident doctors at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS), including postgraduate (PG) students, abandoned work in protest against the action taken against a colleague in the Gynaecology Department pertaining to the death of a Jind woman and her newborn child due to alleged manhandling.

Sunit Dhawan

Tribune News Service

Rohtak, May 22

The resident doctors at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS), including postgraduate (PG) students, abandoned work in protest against the action taken against a colleague in the Gynaecology Department pertaining to the death of a Jind woman and her newborn child due to alleged manhandling.

Doctors assembled to chalk out the next course of action this evening while patient care was adversely affected, especially in the gynaecology ward, due to this.

Sources maintained that a strike had not been declared in view of a recent ruling by the Medical Council of India (MCI) prohibiting strike by doctors. The doctors also held a session on the reconstitution of the PGIMS Residents Doctors Association (RDA) to take their agitation forward.

PGIMS Medical Superintendent, Dr Ashok Chauhan, said they were keeping a close watch on the situation and would take appropriate action as and when required.

Meanwhile, the PGIMS officiating director, Dr KB Gupta, has also requested to be relieved of his charge citing personal reasons. Dr Gupta said he had requested the University of Health Sciences (UHS) officiating Vice-Chancellor, Dr VK Jain, to relieve him.

Dr Jain said Dr Gupta had requested to be relieved of his charge and his request had been forwarded to the state authorities.

A meeting of the senior functionaries of the institute was in progress to take stock of the situation and decide on the plan of action till the time of filing of this report.

Justifying their stir, the doctors maintained that the Jind woman had not died due to manhandling, but due to her critical health condition and her baby was born dead. Still, an FIR had been lodged and the doctors on duty faced action. “We are forced to work in a hostile environment, deal with a large number of patients and subjected to misbehaviour by their attendants. Often, we have to work for 24 hours – or even more – at a stretch. Our repeated requests for getting these concerns addressed have fallen on deaf ears,” said a resident doctor.

Another child dies, negligence alleged

Another child died during treatment at the local PGIMS last night following which his family alleged negligence on part of the doctors. Sumitra of Titoli village gave birth to a son a few days ago. The child was undergoing treatment here.

Her husband Balwan alleged that the child died shortly after an injection was given to him.

The doctors refuted the allegation stating that the child had died due to choking. The Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences authorities have ordered an inquiry and sent the body for a post-mortem.