Doctors at Hindu Rao hospital continue strike

New Delhi: Doctors at the the Hindu Rao Hospital in north Delhi continued their agitation on Tuesday to demand adequate security deployment inside the campus, a day after they met civic authorities and decided not to go on strike.

A meeting was currently underway among representatives of the hospital's Resident Doctors Association (RDA), Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA), senior civic and police officials, said Rahul Chaudhary, president of RDA.

Doctors at the North Delhi Municipal Corporation-run hospital have been protesting since Sunday and had threatened to go on strike from Monday after two of their colleagues were allegedly beaten on Saturday night by relatives of a patient who had died at the facility.

On Monday, they had met civic authorities, who had assured them that their demands will be met. Post the assurance, the doctors had decided not go on strike. Agitating doctors have been demanding augmentation of security deployment and setting up of a police 'chowki' inside the campus of the hospital.

"We had threatened to go on a strike from Monday if our demands were no met. But, senior officials of the NDMC met us this afternoon to discus the ongoing situation," the president of the hospital's RDA had said on Monday, and claimed, "NDMC officials gave us assurance in writing that our demands will be met".

The clash on Saturday had allegedly broken out between doctors and relatives of a deceased patient at the hospital, the largest and oldest facility run by a civic body here. Chaudhary on Monday had said, after the "written assurance" from authorities, the RDA had decided to not call any strike and "wait and watch till 24 hours".

"The authorities have assured to strengthen security deployment, including posting of a guard near the emergency department, setting up of a police chowki on the hospital campus, among other demands put forth by us," he had said. "If they do not do something concrete in 24 hours, we will be forced to go on strike," Chaudhary had said.

The RDA's primary demand is "presence of senior doctors" in emergency department at night time as well, as things get out of control in such situations and relatives wish to speak to senior doctors in crisis time, Chaudhary added. Two doctors Rajesh Kumar and Pranay were allegedly beaten up by the relatives of the deceased patient, a woman, who was brought to the hospital on Saturday, police had said on Sunday.

Earlier this month, a similar incident had taken place in Kolkata. Junior doctors at the state-run NRS Medical College were allegedly assaulted by the relatives of a 75-year-old patient after he died due to alleged negligence.