Date:08/07/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/07/08/stories/2006070822750300.htm

New Delhi

Normalcy restored at AIIMS

Staff Reporter

Court order a first step towards victory: Faculty Association

SOME RELIEF: Doctors examining patients at the make-shift OPD functioning at AIIMS. The strike was called off later in the day. — Photo: R.V. Moorthy

NEW DELHI: Following the Delhi High Court order staying the recommendation to dismiss All-India Institute of Medical Sciences Director P. Venugopal, protesting resident doctors and faculty at the Institute called off their two-day-long strike and returned to work on Friday evening.

The strike was called off after a general body meeting of the faculty and resident doctors. Calling the court order "a first step toward victory", AIIMS Faculty Association vice-president Binod Khaitan said: "We welcome the order and have also called off the hunger strike. We want Dr. Venugopal to be reinstated."

Responding to the developments, Dr. Venugopal thanked the staff and students for their support. He said he had faith in the judicial system and hoped to continue working at the Institute and finish his tenure there. Expressing hope that truth will prevail, he said the fight was for the autonomy of the Institute.

Meanwhile, an enquiry has been ordered into the death of a 35-year-old heart patient Sarvesh Kumar who died on the Institute premises on Wednesday. AIIMS medical superintendent D.K. Sharma said: "We have got details of the case and will question the medical staff on duty. If negligence is found, action will be taken."

Earlier in the day angry patients and their relatives shouted slogans and held a protest march inside the Institute premises. Several patients were left unattended and forced to return without medical attention. Those coming from outside Delhi for treatment and patients who were given dates for operations were the worst sufferers.

However, minor relief for the patients came on Friday morning in the form of parallel out patient departments opened by the protesting medicos in view of the heavy patient load. "A decision was taken to open counters for patients coming to the hospital to minimise their sufferings. Doctors are doing what they can and it is now up to the Government to take a sympathetic view of the situation," said senior resident Anand Mishra.

The four representatives of the associations and unions at the Institute who began an indefinite hunger strike on Thursday called it off on Friday evening. Doctors of various medical colleges and hospitals across the Capital had also extended their support to the protesting doctors at the Institute.

Security at AIIMS was strengthened on Thursday night following a minor scuffle between the police and the doctors at the central lawns. The doctors wanted to erect tents to set up a parallel out patient department.