Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 17: Resident Doctors of Government Medical College and Hospital Jammu today called off their strike following the intervention of Minister for Health and Medical Education, Bali Bhagat, and resumed their duties.
The decision to call off the strike was taken after a meeting of representatives of Resident Doctors’ Association (RDA) with the Minister this evening. The meeting was also attended by Principal GMCH, Dr Zahid Gillani, Administrator, Associated Hospitals, Jammu, Babila Rakwal, Dr Dara Singh and Dr Ramesh Gupta (Medical Superintendents of SMGS Hospital, Jammu and GMCH Jammu, respectively), Dr Kailash Thakur, Assistant Professor, Surgery, Dr Arshad Bhat from Radiology Department and Dr Vijay Vikas, Liason Officer.
During the meeting, representatives of RDA including Dr Akhil Gupta, president, put up their genuine demands including additional security personnel for emergency of the hospital, initiation of enquiry in the whole episode of scuffle between attendants and doctors and delay in registering case against the accused and presence of consultants round the clock in emergency.
The strike was called off by RDA and all agitating resident doctors resumed their routine work at about 7 pm today after all their demands were agreed by the Minister. It was decided in the meeting that till a permanent solution is made within three months, the present arrangement of 10 police personnel deputed by J&K police at a time in emergency shall continue along with internal security, Medical Superintendent of GMCH Jammu shall designate an Officer Incharge Security for the hospital and most importantly a consultant will be made available in emergency round the clock in the interest of teaching and patient care.
The strike had severely impacted the healthcare delivery services in the hospital particularly in emergency section. Though the senior doctors were making all efforts to ease rush of patients by overworking, yet the consequences of the strike were clearly visible in the form of huge rush of patients in Emergency Section as well as OPDs.
Junior Doctors of the hospital under the banner of RDA had gone on strike following alleged manhandling of resident doctors on duty by the attendants of a patient in emergency section on Tuesday. They were demanding security beef-up in the hospital premises particularly in emergency section, enquiry of delay in lodging of FIR against the attendants involved in the assault and presence of consultants round the clock in emergency.
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