Patients in government hospitals in Delhi had a harrowing time as around 15,000 resident doctors went on an indefinite strike today, demanding adequate life-saving drugs, security at workplace and timely payment of their salaries.
The strike by resident doctors at 20 hospitals run by the central and Delhi governments and municipal corporations, including Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Safdarjung Hospital, Lady Hardinge Medical College, Maulana Azad Medical College affected services at the facilities.
The strike affected OPD (Outpatient department) and private ward services but emergency services were not interrupted, claimed a doctor at Safdarjung Hospital.
Sajid Khan, a 67-year-old patient said, “I visited a hospital as I am down with fever, cough and cold but had to return as I was not attended to.”
According to the doctors, the government has failed to fulfil their demands regarding which they earlier had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Health Minister.
The Delhi government later accepted all the 19 demands of the striking doctors in a two-hour-long meeting held at the Delhi Secretariat, which was attended by around 25 resident doctors.
However, protesting doctors have not called off the strike and claim that final decision will be made only after Delhi government makes minutes of the meeting public.
“We are yet to receive minutes of the meeting and only after reviewing it, a final decision will be made,” said a doctor on strike, who also attended the meeting.
A senior official, however, said, “The strike is not justified when we have agreed to all the demands. Strict action would be taken against striking doctors if they do not resume duty by tomorrow morning.”
The doctors have been demanding adequate generic and life-saving drugs, security at workplace, fixed duty hours and timely payment of their salaries.
On February 27, resident doctors had gone on a day-long strike over similar issues but it was called off after both the Centre and the state government held a meeting and discussed their issues.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also tweeted on the issue, “Most demands of striking doctors genuine. I have directed Health Department to implement them. Health Department should have resolved it earlier (sic).”
Congress, meanwhile, extended support to the striking doctors, and asked the Delhi government to address their demands immediately as the possibility of spurt in cases of illnesses lurks with the advent of monsoon.
PTI