Services at Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences are likely to be affected on Friday as resident doctors are on an indefinite strike, reported PTI. The doctors had gone on strike on Thursday after one of their colleagues was allegedly assaulted by a senior doctor.
Routine surgeries may be cancelled while services at outpatient clinics will be restricted. Academic activities and exams have also been postponed indefinitely, reported the Hindustan Times. The hospital said it has taken steps to take care of patients who have been admitted there.
The alleged assault took place on Wednesday night. “The resident doctor was on rounds with the faculty member when his phone rang accidentally,” said Harjit Singh Bhati, the president of the Resident Doctors’ Association, according to The Indian Express. “He was scrambling to put it on silent when the faculty member snatched it away from him and was about to throw it away. When he tried to stop him, he was slapped.” As a mark of protest, the doctors on Thursday wore helmets while working.
The doctors have demanded that Dr Atul Kumar, who heads a department at AIIMS, submit an apology and be suspended immediately. The Resident Doctors’ Association also urged that he should not be allowed to take in thesis candidates and conduct any kind of examination.
In a letter to AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria, the Resident Doctors’ Association alleged that the senior doctor has created an atmosphere of fear in the department. “We expect an immediate and strong action from your side so that a message goes out that doctors are not here to be beaten,” read the letter.
AIIMS has set up a five-member committee, chaired by the dean-research, to investigate the incident.
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