Date:13/10/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/10/13/stories/2007101361780300.htm

New Delhi

Daylong strike by LNJP doctors

Staff Reporter

“Angry relatives of a patient who had died beat up on-duty doctors”

‘This is not the first time that doctors have been subjected to this kind of treatment’
‘The hospital is facing an acute shortage of lower division medical staff ’

NEW DELHI: Bringing medical services to a halt, over 500 resident doctors of the Capital’s Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan Hospital went on a flash strike on Friday morning after angry relatives of a patient who had died in the Emergency ward beat up on-duty doctors, including a woman physician, on Thursday night.

Medical centres

Unaware of the strike call, patients who came to the hospital for treatment on Friday morning had to return or were referred to nearby medical centres.

“Relatives of a patient, who was brought to us in a critical condition, went on the rampage after the boy expired. They damaged hospital property and beat up doctors. This is not the first time that doctors at the hospital have been subjected to this kind of treatment and we had no other option but to proceed on strike,” said LNJP Resident Doctors’ Association president Jitender Singhal.

“We are demanding that the Delhi Government provide us with basic medical equipment, medicines, essential goods and adequate assistant medical staff. The hospital is facing an acute shortage of lower division medical staff with doctors now having to transfer patients from one ward to the other and having to run around looking for medicines. We don’t blame the patients for losing their patience, but the Delhi Government officials have to understand that the situation will not improve if the working condition remains this poor. Even basic sanitation is a problem at the hospital. We can’t work under such circumstances.”

Assistance

Assuring that the demands of the doctors would be looked into and appealing to them to resume work, State Principal Secretary (Health) Vivek Rae said: “We have met the doctors and top officials of the hospital and assured them that we will extend all assistance possible to ensure that they are able to provide top-quality medical services. We are looking into the demands about lack of lower division medical staff and medical equipments. We understand that there is a crisis in the system itself which needs urgent revision. Also, on the issue of security being provided to doctors, we have provided ex-Servicemen who have taken over security at the hospital.”

Strict action

Indian Medical Association assistant secretary Anil Bansal said: “We are demanding strict action against the patients’ relatives who beat up the doctors. This has become a routine occurrence in the city hospitals and we need to take serious note of the incident. Often what happens is that the police don’t even register a complaint thus indirectly encouraging such behaviour.”

The strike was called off in the evening after the Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Dr. Swaraj Batra, assured the doctors that their demands would be met.