Sardarjung Hospital strike continues

Services in Sardarjung Hospital remained disrupted today as over 300 medical students and some junior doctors continued their hunger strike to demand "basic facilities" like water, working lifts and air-conditioning in their hostel.

Services in Sardarjung Hospital remained disrupted today as over 300 medical students and some junior doctors continued their hunger strike to demand "basic facilities" like water, working lifts and air-conditioning in their hostel.

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The students of Vardhaman Mahavir Medical College (VMCC), the hospital's medical college, complained they were without drinking water, lifts and air-conditioning for the past two months.

They were sitting on hunger strike outside the OPD (out patients department) of the Safdarjung Hospital. Over 8,000 patients visit the hospital in a day.

The students were baton-charged by around 25 policeman today, but they are in no mood to give up the strike. They claim the college authorities have made such promises in the past too.

"The lathi-charge was stopped by the policeman only after they saw the girls who were sitting on strike," said a third year MBBS student

Medical Superintendent N.K. Mohanty promised the agitating students that their demands would be fulfilled, but the students were unimpressed.

The resident doctors may also join the strike after a general body meeting among senior consultants, post-graduate students and resident doctors in the afternoon.

"We will talk to the authorities and if they don't agree to our demands we will join the strike," Chandra Bhan, president of the hospital resident doctors' association, told IANS.