Safdarjung hospital doctors call off flash strike

The flash strike started after a resident doctor was punched in the emergency department while treating a patient with acute abdominal pain.

Over 100 routine surgeries had to be cancelled and the services at the out-patient clinics were also affected on Monday morning as the resident doctors of the hospital continued their flash strike from Sunday.

Patients wait outside the emergency wing, at Safdarjung Hospital, in New Delhi, on Monday, January 14, 2019, following a flash strike by resident doctors. The doctors called off their strike later on Monday evening. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

The strike of the nearly 1,500 resident doctors was called off late evening.

“All the surgeries scheduled for today had to be cancelled. The routine services were, of course, affected,” said a doctor from the hospital.

“This is what happens whenever there is a strike. All available doctors, the consultants and professors took care of the patients who are in the wards and ICUs and those who came to the clinics,” confirmed another senior doctor from the hospital, who did not want to be named.

The hospital out-patient department, which is usually teeming with patients, was almost deserted and the attendance at the clinics was only about 40% of nearly 7,000 patients it sees everyday.

“The number of patients who came to the hospital today was about 60% less than what we usually get. This is most likely because people either read or saw about the strike in the news. Also, today is a festival,” said a data entry operator who registers patient, on condition of anonymity.

“But, the senior professors and consultants did see all those who did come to the hospital,” he said. Shyam Narayan Sahu, 64, had travelled from Patna to get his son treated for stomach cancer said that it took a little longer than usual but the doctor did see them and prescribed medicines.

Relatives of a 18-year-old accident victim, who succumbed to his injuries, alleged that he died because he did not receive medical attention because of the strike.

The flash strike started after a resident doctor was punched in the emergency department while treating a patient with acute abdominal pain. “The doctor has a nasal fracture and is under observation. Our demand was to increase the security in the new emergency department,” said Dr Prakash Thakur, president of the resident doctor’ association.

The strike was called off after the hospital promised to provide more security guards in the new building and increase the patrol of the quick response team.