Delhi: Resident doctors dig in their heels, refuse to call off strike
Resident doctors at several government hospitals in the national capital refused to end their strike on Wednesday, going against the decision taken by a national body of medicos spearheading the protest against the rape and murder of a junior doctor at a State-run hospital in Kolkata.
The Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA) had on Tuesday night announced to call off the strike after a meeting with Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda.
The federation told the protesting doctors that their collective demands are being “addressed” and said it has been assured that a panel will be formed to look into the demand for a legislation to protect healthcare professionals against violence. “Please rest assured that FORDA acted with the utmost consideration for the well-being of the resident doctors’ community and patient care. Our decision was guided by these principles and not by any external or malicious factors,” it said in a post on X.
However, junior doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Safdarjung and Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) hospitals sought a written assurance from the Minister over their demands and termed the FORDA move “hasty”. Dr. Ayush Raj, general secretary of the Resident Doctors’ Association (RDA) of Safdarjung Hospital, said, “We were fighting along with FORDA since we had similar demands. But just because FORDA has called off its strike, it does not mean we will do the same.”
Rift at MAMC
The call to end the strike drove a wedge among the resident doctors at Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC) and Associated Hospitals. As the office-bearers of the MAMC RDA announced to follow the FORDA move, several doctors issued a note terming it “incorrect”. Soon after, all RDA members stepped down, paving the way for a new team to take over.
“We happily stepped down because the doctors wanted to continue protesting,” said Aviral Mathur, president of the both FORDA and the MAMC RDA.
“We started the protests with a few major demands, which are now being addressed. The process might take time, and the legislation [to protect health care workers] might not come in a day but a committee is being formed to ensure that the work is done in a time-bound manner,” he added.
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