Kolkata rape-murder: Chandigarh PGI suspends walk-in OPDs for new patients amid strike by resident doctors

With a total of 1,276 resident doctors suspending their duties, the authorities at PGIMER, Chandigarh, have also decided to suspend elective surgeries till further orders

Healthcare services in in the OPDs of Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) were severely affected on Monday after resident doctors went on an indefinite strike to demand justice for a 31-year-old post-graduate trainee who was raped and murdered at a hospital in Kolkata.

Resident doctors holding a protest outside PGI director’s office in Chandigarh on Monday. (Ravi Kumar/HT)

However, the emergency and ICU services remained uninterrupted.

With a total of 1,276 resident doctors suspending their duties, the PGIMER authorities decided to curtail the services till further orders. From Tuesday, OPD services will be limited for only old patients (visiting the hospital for follow-ups) in respective departments from 8 am to 9.30 am and no new patients will be registered for OPD services.

Besides this, the indoor admissions will be restricted to only for emergency cases and no elective surgery will be performed.

“The heinous crime against the resident doctor has shocked and saddened the medical community, and we stand in solidarity with our fellow colleagues. A candle march was also organised on the PGIMER campus on Sunday, and we decided to proceed on indefinite strike until justice is provided to our colleague. We demand a CBI inquiry into the matter, along with punishment to all accused and increased safety for doctors in each medical institute,” said Dr Hariharan A, president, Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), PGIMER.

He added that the resident doctors will continue to perform emergency duties and no patient will be harassed, but they will discontinue OPD services until justice was provided.

In the wake of the indefinite strike notice issued by ARD, PGIMER officials devised a robust contingency plan to run the patient care services with available resources.

Responding to the strike call, PGIMER director Dr Vivek Lal said, “We understand the gravity of the situation and the concerns raised by our residents. The incident in West Bengal is a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities faced by healthcare professionals. While we stand in solidarity with the nationwide movement, we are equally committed to ensuring that patient care remains our utmost priority. We are closely monitoring the situation and remain in constant dialogue with resident representatives to address their concerns while maintaining the highest standards of patient care.”

To manage the impact of the strike, Dr Vipin Koushal, medical superintendent, PGIMER, shared the contingency plan, saying, “We have mobilised all available resources to ensure that patient services are not adversely affected. Emergency and ICU services will proceed as usual, with resident doctors in place to handle critical cases.”