After most of the demands of resident doctors at Lok Nayak Hospital were fulfilled, they resumed their duties on Monday afternoon, after being on strike since Thursday.
However, the strike’s end in the afternoon, after several rounds of talks between the resident doctors and hospital authorities, implies that those seeking treatment in out-patient department, will be attended by the hospital’s doctors on Tuesday.
Doctors said they are satisfied with the progress made in terms of strengthening security for the doctors in the hospital.
“The number of security guards has been increased and more women personnel have been added. They have also been empowered to better deal with such incidents in the future,” said Dr Ankit Thora, the hospital’s Resident Doctors Association’s (RDA) spokesperson.
“This time the authorities have also been prompt in purchasing CCTV cameras and buzzers,” said Dr Thora.
The doctors had also demanded an apology, in writing, from the medical superintendent as one of the conditions for calling off the strike. They had accused her for casual attitude to such incidents in the past. But Thora said they could only extract a public oral apology from her.
“The MS apologised in front of the RDA. In the interest of the patients, we couldn’t continue the strike just because she had not tendered a written apology,” he said.
Regular meetings between the RDA and the authorities will also be held to discuss the doctors’s security.
Over 400 resident doctors had stopped working after a patient and her relatives had allegedly assaulted a lady doctor in the gynecology department on Wednesday night.
The strike had left unattended, many of the patients already admitted in the hospital, of which many were forced to vacate the hospital mid-way of their treatment.
Though consultant doctors made with only rare and brief visits to the hospital. Patients were turned away from outside the main gate and emergency services were suspended during the period of the strike.