Patients suffer as Rohtak PGI resident doctors go on strike

Tribune News Service

Rohtak, October 3

Patients were at the receiving end as junior resident doctors at Pt BD Sharma PGIMS here today launched an indefinite strike in protest against alleged misbehavior by the police with a woman resident doctor yesterday. She was summoned by the police for questioning in connection with a newborn going missing from the hospital within a few minutes after delivery on September 10. Ravinder Kumar, DSP, however, refuted the charges and alleged that the police was deliberately being blamed as doctors did not want to join investigation.

All scheduled surgeries were deferred today while hundreds of patients had to go without routine ultrasound tests due to the strike . Over 80 major surgeries and 500 ultrasound tests are carried out daily. However, emergency surgery and ultrasound tests were performed, said sources.

Some attendants accused the doctors of discharging their patients due to the strike but the PGIMS administration refuted the charges, stating senior doctors have been pressed into service to provide OPD and emergency services.

Jangbir Grewal, president of the Resident Doctors’ Association (RDA), said cops misbehaved with Dr Heena Fatima when she went to the PGIMS police station to join investigation. She had been under acute mental stress since the incident.

“Though we immediately informed the PGIMS administration about the incident, it neither paid any heed nor assured us of taking steps against the police. Hence, they had to go on strike with immediate effect for getting justice,” said Grewal.

Blaming the PGIMS administration for the newborn missing case, he said resident doctors were being made a scapegoat to hide the lapses on the part of the administration.

“We are ready to cooperate with the police but the investigation should be made at the office of the PGIMS Medical Superintendent (MS) instead of the police station. Medico-legal expert should be provided to resident doctors, besides free legal service,” said Grewal. They would not end their strike until the above demands were met, he added.

A special investigation team (SIT) is probing the case . The SIT has decided to conduct the lie-detector test on 12 hospital staff members, including doctors, nurses and security guards, who were on duty at the time of the incident.

Dr OP Kalra, Vice-Chancellor, Pt BD Sharma University of Health Sciences, said resident doctors should cooperate with the police in the investigation. All necessary arrangements had been made to provide all medical services, he added.