The Delhi government today directed all Medical Superintendents of its hospitals to ensure that the strike by resident doctors is called off in their respective hospitals.
According to a senior official, medical services were hit as the agitation of thousands of government doctors entered the second day following which Delhi government invoked the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) to force an end to the strike.
“Medical Superintendents of Delhi government hospitals were asked to ensure that doctors at their hospital join service tomorrow causing no further trouble to patients,” a senior official said.
The move came after Health Minister Satyendra Jain held a meeting senior officials of health department today.
“Emergency services have been affected due to the strike and so the government has imposed Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA).
“Never before have emergency services been affected due to a strike and I saw it myself during inspections at several hospitals. Patients in hospitals cannot be left to die,” Jain said.
The Minister said the government “accepted 19 demands” put forth by the striking doctors during parleys between the two sides.
“During the meeting, they made five more demands which, too, were accepted and (we) also circulated the minutes of the meeting,” added Jain.
However, the doctors continued with the strike demanding concrete measures as they claimed that the “government has in the past given similar assurances but failed to deliver”.