‘Resume duties immediately,’ AIIMS Delhi director urges resident doctors
Resident doctors at AIIMS New Delhi have been on strike, protesting the rape and murder of a woman doctor at Kolkata’s R G Kar Medical College.
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Doctors protest at AIIMS in New Delhi, on Saturday. (Express Photo by Praveen Khanna) Urging resident doctors to “resume their duties immediately”, AIIMS Delhi said the institute has formed a committee to address their immediate concerns. The doctors have been on strike to protest against the rape and murder of a woman doctor at Kolkata’s R G Kar Medical College.
In his letter to the Resident Doctors’ Association (RDA), AIIMS Delhi Director Dr M Srinivas said that he stands behind the cause of the safety of all healthcare professionals at the premier institute and across the country. “However, as doctors, our supreme duty is also to ensure that patients visiting our portals do not go unattended,” Srinivas said.
On Wednesday, the 9th day of the strike by resident doctors’ associations across all Delhi hospitals, outpatient departments (OPD), surgeries, and diagnostic services remained restricted.
At AIIMS, the number of surgeries dipped by 90%; OPD registration by 65%; radiological investigations by 55%; admissions by 40%; and laboratory services by 30%. Faculty members and consultants have been handling follow-ups and cases of critical patients in OPDs and no new walk-in patients are being provided appointments.
The Centre and the Supreme Court have assured the safety of healthcare professionals, the letter pointed out. On Tuesday, the apex court constituted a National Task Force to come up with recommendations to resolve issues concerning the safety, working conditions and well-being of medical professionals.
“Accordingly, the undersigned is kindly requesting resident doctors of AIIMS New Delhi to resume their duties immediately so that patient care services are normalised,” Srinivas wrote.
He also said it has been decided to undertake a collaborative internal security audit at AIIMS concerning the safety and security of healthcare professionals, staff, patients and visitors.
To address any immediate concerns, AIIMS has formed a committee which includes dean (research), dean (academics) and dean (examinations) along with the medical superintendent and chief security officer of the institute, the letter stated.
The committee will visit all AIIMS campuses, including outreach campuses like NCI Jhajjar, NDDTC Ghaziabad, CRHSP Ballabgarh, etc., during the day and night and survey security measures, the letter added.
“The committee is requested to deliberate in detail regarding any additional safety and security measures required at AIIMS campuses and submit its recommendations to the undersigned at the earliest for speedy implementation,” Srinivas said.
Meanwhile, doctors’ associations held a meeting with the Indian Medical Association.
IMA national president Dr R V Ashokan also wrote a letter to Union Health Minister J P Nadda demanding that the Central Protection Act’s draft bill 2019, incorporating amendment clauses of the Epidemic Diseases Amendment Act, 2020, and Code Grey Protocol of the Kerala government’s ‘Prevention Management of Violence against Healthcare Workers’, be proclaimed as an ordinance.
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