Docs call off strike after HC intervention

The doctors who had been protesting over non-receipt of degrees, say they expect the Delhi HC to listen to their grievance.

Striking medics of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) called off their strike on Thursday afternoon after the Delhi High Court asked them to do so in view of the suffering of patients.

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The doctors said the high court had taken suo moto cognisance of their strike and the suffering of the thousands of patients who throng the hospital every day.

"Respecting the judiciary we have called off our strike. We hope the court will listen to our grievance as well," Nitin Kukkar, a protesting doctor, told IANS.

Since Tuesday evening, hundreds of resident doctors were protesting because they had not received their postgraduate degrees. The strike had affected services at the out patients department (OPD) of the premier hospital, which is visited by around 6,000 people every day.

On Wednesday, the resident doctors had boycotted the OPD although they attended the ICUs and emergency wards.

The resident doctors were protesting because they had not got their degrees even two years after clearing the exams, making it difficult for them to apply for jobs elsewhere or for further studies.

The protesting medicos allege that Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss has not signed the degree certificates though the other three signatories - director, registrar and dean - had signed them.

Ramadoss had urged the protesting medicos to call off their strike and assured them that he would sign their degree certificates soon, but the junior doctors had earlier refused to relent.

AIIMS is India's top government hospital and medical college that treats over 8,000 patients every day.