Resident and post graduate (PG) doctors of Rohtak’s Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) remained on strike for the third consecutive day on Monday.
The junior doctors launched the agitation on Saturday after relatives of a patient who had died in the emergency ward assaulted one of their colleagues.
Around 500 junior doctors ceased work at the emergency, OPC and ward services, clamoring for action against the attacker. They medics even raised slogans against PGIMS director Dr C S Dhull.
Demands of the doctors
The medics were not ready to resume work unless their demands of security, better amenities and infrastructure for on duty doctors at casualty ward of the PGIMS were addressed. According to the doctors, security arrangements inside the campus were inadequate with stray incidents of manhandling by patients’ relatives of caregivers doing the rounds.
Dr Jasbir Parmar, spokesman of the Resident Doctors’ Association (RDA) stated, “We are raising the justified demands hence the PGIMS authorities should come forward to accept these but the authorities have not contacted us in this regard even after 48 hours of our strike.”
Incident of assault
On Friday night, Dr Ansul was treating a woman patient (identified as Bindu) who had been rushed to the hospital in a critical condition after she consumed some poisonous substance. The patient died on Saturday morning.
Though, footage of CCTV cameras confirmed that Dr Ansul was treating the woman patient seriously Bindu’s mother assaulted him alleging negligence. Though family members apologized on the behalf of her mother doctors chose to air out their grievances about criminalizing attacks on doctors and inadequate security issues.
Strike an inconvenience for patients
As a consequence of the strike, medical services at the hospital were hit hard. There was utter chaos and harried patients had to bear the brunt of the ongoing agitation. A number of patients moved to other medical institutes and private-run hospitals. According to Vice-chancellor Dr S S Sangwan nearly 300 consultants and professors were roped in to handle emergency cases.
Also, senior doctors of the PGIMS, including Director Chand Singh Dhull, Registrar Sarla Hooda, Medical Superintendent (MS) Ashok Chauhan, Ranbir Singh Dahiya and Geeta Gathwala, pitched in were seen treating the patients on Saturday night.
Dr C S Dhull said, “The doctors remained off from duty without any prior intimation and resorted to strike. We are watching the CCTV footage and a stern action shall be taken against defaulters.”
