Doctors’ strike paralyses elective services in city’s govt hospitals
Anshita Mehra
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, August 13
Elective services in government hospitals across Delhi remained suspended on Tuesday as the resident doctors’ strike, sparked by the recent rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata, entered its second day.
‘Govt inaction’
No solid step has been taken by the government so far. It is not only about doctors, but also about female security. The incident happened at a premier hospital in Kolkata. This can happen at any hospital. — Dr Anita, doctor at RML Hospital
The strike, which began on Monday, has severely disrupted outpatient departments (OPDs) and non-emergency surgeries.
Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA) president Aviral Mathur confirmed the strike would continue, saying, “I, along with the association members and doctors, met the Union Health Minister’s team on Monday. Since no resolution was reached regarding the demands, the strike will continue for another day.” Mathur emphasised that while elective services were on hold, emergency services would remain operational.
At Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital here, Dr Kumari Archana, a senior resident in the neurology department, urged the public to support the strike. “The authorities do not care about our safety. Over a year, guards were reduced and bouncers, who are supposed to ensure safety in emergency situations, were removed. Moreover, the guards do not have any weapons to protect us,” she stated.
Dr Anita, another protesting doctor at RML, voiced her frustration with the government’s inaction, saying, “No solid step has been taken by the government so far. Our three demands have not been fulfilled, hence we are forced to continue the strike. We are requesting the people to come forward, it is not only about doctors, but also about female security.”
Doubts about the handling of the case were also raised by a male doctor at RML, who said, “It is being claimed that the accused has been arrested, but we do not trust this information at all since the first autopsy report revealed the involvement of three people, yet only one has been arrested and that too came willingly. Therefore, we are demanding a CBI investigation.”
Another doctor, Jasmine, said, “This incident is very unfortunate. There have been many similar incidents before where violence has been recorded. In the past month alone, we’ve seen five to 10 episodes of violence against doctors in the Capital. Despite our protests, the violence never stops. If we can’t be safe while on duty, then what else can we expect?”
