JOIN USLNJP docs continue strike despite arrest
Despite an arrest being made in the Lok Nayak Hospital fracas that took place late on Wednesday night, the strike by resident doctors continued on Friday.
Attempts by the hospital authorities and even the Delhi Health Minister have failed to end the impasse.
The doctors had stopped working after a Woman resident doctor in the hospital’s gynaecological department was allegedly assaulted by a patient and her relatives late on Wednesday night.
They had also allegedly torn her clothes and threatened her with rape.
Alok Kumar, deputy commissioner of police (central), said Saleem, husband of the female patient, has been arrested.
Despite the arrest being one of the major demands of the doctors, they have not relented to end the strike and are demanding an apology from the medical superintendent.
They have accused her for casual attitude to such incidents that has allegedly left gaping holes in the hospital’s security.
State Health Minister Dr A K Walia, who had met the agitated doctors on Thursday, told Deccan Herald on Friday that the strike should end now as most of their demands, including the arrest, have been met.
“We have sanctioned additional security to the hospital and even agreed to provide women security personnel in the gynaecological department. Their concerns have been addressed at the minister’s level. They should call off the strike now,” he said.
The deputy medical superintendent Dr Manju Mehra said the hospital authorities are in continuous touch with the resident doctors and their representatives and expressed hopes that the doctors would be back to work by Saturday.
But the doctors said anything less than an apology by the MS won’t be accepted and that the strike could well extend to Monday.
Meanwhile, new patients continued to be turned away and many old patients denied treatment, because of which they have been forced to look for other hospitals for treatment.
The services of the consultants, who have not joined the strike, has not helped the situation much as they are few in number.