Delhi hospitals feel the squeeze as resident doctors’ strike enters 11th day

With the strike by resident doctors entering its 11th day on Tuesday, both Delhi residents and those arriving from neighbouring states and are in need of urgent medical care are facing difficulties as the emergency wings of several big Delhi hospitals are barely functional

With the strike by resident doctors entering its 11th day on Tuesday, both Delhi residents and those arriving from neighbouring states and are in need of urgent medical care are facing difficulties as the emergency wings of several big Delhi hospitals are barely functional.

The resident doctors have been striking work since last Saturday over delays in NEET-2021 PG counselling, which is now pending the outcome of a batch of petitions being heard by the Supreme Court over economic reservations. (Amal K S/HT photo)

The resident doctors have been striking work since last Saturday over delays in NEET-2021 PG counselling, which is now pending the outcome of a batch of petitions being heard by the Supreme Court over economic reservations. The strike started last Saturday with doctors boycotting work in out-patient clinics, but it later escalated to boycott of all routine work such as care of admitted patients and routine surgeries as they received no written assurance from the Union health minister, who said the matter is now sub judice.

Doctors from Central government-run hospitals such as Dr Ram Manohar Lohia and Safdarjung withdrew from emergency services from Monday, leaving the emergency wing of the All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences flooded with patients.

Seventy-five-year-old Geeta Colony resident Sudhir, who goes by one name, was brought to the emergency department of Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital on Tuesday morning with fits. After waiting for hours, he was given a medicine and asked to go to either AIIMS or Lok Nayak Hospital.

“The doctors said he needed admission, but because of a strike they cannot take him in. They asked us to go to AIIMS but all ambulances were either refusing to take us or charging over ₹1,000. I don’t know what to do,” said his daughter Preeti.

An ambulance driver from Delhi government’s Centralised Accident and Trauma Services (CATS) blamed long queues at the AIIMS emergency for their reluctance. “Last night, I took a patient to AIIMS and had to wait at the hospital for over 1.5 hours because there were no trolleys to carry the patient in. Many family members were laying patients on the floor outside. All big hospitals are now referring emergency patients to AIIMS because of the strike,” said the driver, on condition of anonymity.

A guard on duty near the hospital’s emergency department said no patient was being treated in the outpatient clinics— they are all being sent to the emergency department if urgent care was needed. “The senior doctors are giving some first aid and care, sometimes on the trolley outside, and then referring patients to other hospitals,” the guard said.

A guard on duty at Safdarjung Hospital’s emergency department said all patients were being turned away. “We have been asked to turn away patients; even the serious ones. We ask them to go to either AIIMS or Pt Madan Mohan Malviya hospital. What can we do, there are very few doctors left to take care of the already admitted patients,” the guard said.

Outside the emergency department of the hospital, Yogesh Kumar was sitting on a parapet with his cousin Shyam Vir on a stretcher nearby. Shyam Vir met with an accident in end-November and has a shattered tibia and fibula (leg bones), along with infection.

“We took him to the government hospital in Jaipur where his CT scan and X-rays were done, the pus drained, and the wound dressed. He needed a surgery, but the doctors went on a strike the next day onwards. So we decided to come to Delhi. But, now we hear that doctors here are also on strike. We were asked to come to the hospital on Tuesday for the surgery, but now they have asked us to come back on Friday,” said Kumar.

The NEET-2021 PG examinations that usually happen in May were delayed this year because of the second wave of Covid-19 in the country. While the exams were finally conducted in September, the counselling was postponed because of a batch of petitions in the Supreme Court on the economic reservation for candidates.

The health minister and other ministry officials have said they cannot provide any written assurances as the matter is sub judice.

On Tuesday, as the boycott of hospital emergencies continued, hospitals have started warning that all resident doctors hired on ad hoc basis will face disciplinary action, including termination from service.

“All resident doctors who are appointed on ad hoc basis are informed that they cannot indulge themselves nor participate in any strike activity. Non-observance of rules attracts disciplinary action as deemed fit, including termination,” read a circular from the RML hospital.

But resident doctors said they will continue with the strike. “The delays in NEET PG counselling has not only left 42,000 MBBS doctor awaiting admissions but has resulted in a shortfall of one-third of resident doctors in medical college hospitals. The resident doctors are the backbone of the services provided at these hospitals and the ones on calla re overburdened,” said a doctor on strike, requesting anonymity.