THE TEN-DAY strike by resident doctors of the Institute of Medical Sciences was called off on Friday after authorities of the Banaras Hindu University succumbed to increasing pressure by striking doctors and accepted their major demands.
Their demands included removal of head of the Department of General Medicine Dr NK Singh from his post and check on the alleged corrupt practices at Sir Sunderlal Hospital and IMS.
BHU vice-chancellor Prof Panjab Singh told reporters late on Thursday night that the demand of striking doctors to initiate action against Dr NK Singh could not be fulfilled without a proper inquiry, adding that the probe would begin once the doctors called off their strike.
The sudden turn around by authorities by accepting the demands of striking doctors indicates that all was not well in the medicine department and that doctors’ demands were genuine.
The ‘Non Co-operation Movement of Medical Students Against Corruption’, under the banner of the Resident Doctors’ Association, was called off at 1:10 pm today.
IMS director Prof Gajendra Singh held discussions with resident doctors today and reportedly accepted their demands.
{{/usCountry}}IMS director Prof Gajendra Singh held discussions with resident doctors today and reportedly accepted their demands.
{{/usCountry}}The resident doctors said Prof Gajendra Singh had agreed to seize the academic powers of Dr NK Singh with immediate effect and constitute a time-bound inquiry committee to probe the allegations against him.
According to information, Prof Gajendra Singh along with Prof AK Gulati of the Department of Microbiology, Blood Bank in-charge Dr KK Gupta and Dr Mumtaz Ansari of the Department of General Surgery held discussions with around 40 resident doctors and agreed to seize the powers of Dr NK Singh. The IMS authorities have also agreed to set up an Anti-Corruption Cell soon.
“Dr NK Singh will not be appointed examiner for three years from now,” sources said. “The striking resident doctors had some academic problem, which I will personally look into and their main demand of removal of Dr NK Singh has not been fulfilled,” Dr Gajendra Singh told HT on telephone. He confirmed that doctors had called off their strike.
However, resident doctors expressed their commitment in filing a PIL in the Supreme Court against the alleged corrupt practices at Sir Sunderlal Hospital and IMS.
Meanwhile, health services at Sir Sunderlal Hospital were restored this afternoon. Since the OPD was closed on account of Saraswati puja, the strike till 1:10 pm on Friday did not affect health services much.
Sources said soon after calling off the strike, resident doctors resumed their work and extended their services at the general and emergency wards and the ICU.