AIIMS doctor apologises, healthcare services still hit

New Delhi: Healthcare services at AIIMS were hit on Friday as routine surgeries were cancelled, out-patient clinics functioned partially and patients seeking OPD consultation were sent back due to a strike by resident doctors over an alleged assault on one of their colleagues by a senior doctor. Meanwhile, accused senior AIIMS doctor tendered a written apology, when he appeared before the inquiry committee and later proceeded on leave on the directions of an internal probe panel.

The doctor, who is heading a department at AIIMS, appeared before the inquiry committee which was constituted after the protesting resident doctors demanded his immediate suspension.

Only the emergency and ICU services functioned. Routine surgeries were cancelled and academic activities and exams were postponed indefinitely, an administration official said.

The Resident Doctors’ Association (RDA) has demanded that the senior doctor be not allowed to take in thesis candidates and conduct any verbal or written examination.

On Friday, the hospital administration put in place a contingency plan for patient-care services, as a part of which faculty-on-call in all clinical departments had to physically man the in-patient wards.

“OPD services will function on restricted basis till such a time normalcy is restored. Only follow-up patients with prior appointments will be registered in OPD. New patients OPD registration will be done as per availability of faculty in respective OPDs as decided by Head of Department/Unit concerned. No walk-in registration will be done,” the administration said in an order.

Routine surgeries will remain suspended and only emergency cases will be taken up. Diagnostic services will function on a restricted basis, it stated.

“Head(s) of all clinical departments will make arrangements for round-the-clock availability of doctors of speciality concerned either from research staff or by the faculty members. Under no circumstances any inpatient ward will function without physical availability of doctors of speciality concerned,” it stated.

The strike gave a hard time to patients who had to return without treatment from the premier hospital. Some of them were asked to visit the nearby Safdarjung hospital.

“I have come from Darbhanga (Bihar) to get my son treated but it was only after reaching here that I got to know about the strike. We will now have to wait for the strike to end as we.cannot leave just like that,” Pawan Choubey said.

In a statement late Thursday night, AIIMS said the incident over which the resident doctors called the strike happened on Wednesday, following which the senior doctor apologised.