Doctors’ stir hits medical services at Lok Nayak hospital

Medical services at the Lok Nayak hospital were severely hit on Sunday after all junior doctors — senior residents, junior residents and interns boycotted work, reducing the staff strength at the hospital to one-tenth.

Medical services at the Lok Nayak hospital were severely hit on Sunday after all junior doctors — senior residents, junior residents and interns boycotted work, reducing the staff strength at the hospital to one-tenth.

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The strike, called after an MBBS intern was assaulted by the relatives of a patient on Saturday night, forced the hospital — which receives a daily footfall of 5,000 patients — to stop all new patient admissions. At least 500-700 new patients are admitted across department every day.

Three senior doctors from the department of general surgery were beaten up by the relatives of a female patient on Friday night, leading to an agitation by the doctors. They had resumed duties on Saturday morning only.

In both the cases, the doctors have filed an FIR. They are demanding improved security in the hospital. Senior consultants were called in on Sunday evening to fill in for the junior doctors. A single doctor was manning the emergency, after the junior doctors went on mass leave.

"I am not sure if the doctors will continue their strike tomorrow. In case they do, we will not be in a position to take in any new patients," said a doctor from the department of paediatrics.

"One has to understand that the junior doctors form the backbone of the hospital.

Their security should be of primary concern for the hospital authorities," said another doctor from the department of orthopaedics.

Earlier this month, doctor from Deen Dayal Upadhyaya (DDU) Hospital in west Delhi had boycotted work demanding enhanced security, after three resident doctors and a security guard were beaten up at DDU Hospital by two groups of patients' relatives in the emergency.