22-year-old dies as resident doctors strike at Safdarjung
16 May 2013 6:43 AM IST
A 22-year-old girl, admitted to the emergency unit of Safdarjung hospital, lost her life, even as the Union Health Ministry negotiated with the Resident Doctors Association of the hospital which had called for an indefinite strike till their demands are met. The strike was called off on Wednesday, the second day of agitation, after the doctors were assured that their demands would be met, but not before Yashmin who had been admitted to the hospital with diarrhoea, died due to the absence of doctors on duty.
Shaahnwaaz , Yashmin’s brother said 'she had been suffering from diarrhoea and mild fever and was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday morning at 7:30 am. Till afternoon there was not even a single doctor to attend to her. Later in the afternoon, I found her unconscious and when I saw again she was dead. She had died at 1:30 pm. My family members and I approached the doctors repeatedly and pleaded with them to attend to my sister, but hospital officials said the doctors were on a strike.'
Around 900 resident doctors are employed in various departments of the city largest medical facility, Safdarjung Hopital and all of them were on strike on Wednesday, demanding regular salary payment, better hostel facilities and security in the campus. The deadlock between Safdarjung resident doctors and the government was solved after firm assurances from the government at 3.30 pm that their pending demands would be met. The doctors called off the strike after receiving assurance from top officers of the Union Health Ministry that all their demands, including that of new hostels, will be met.
B D Atthani, medical superitendent of the hospital said, 'Seventy per cent of the doctors were at work. So attributing the patient’s death to lack of medical care or the strike may not be correct. The patient is learnt to have had a cardiac problem and doctors were present at the cardiology department.'
Sameer Prabhakar, Resident Doctors Association spokesperson said, 'We joined work immediately after receiving assurance from the Union health secretary and other officials that our demands would be met'.
Apart from demands of regular salary to interns, availability of potable water in wards and enhanced security in campus, he said, the officials have also proposed three- four alternative plans to construct new hostels for resident doctors.
'We had called the strike on Tuesday evening as the hospital administration took only token measures last week to pacify us, but nothing constructive was done to look into our demands,' Prabhakar said.
Shaahnwaaz , Yashmin’s brother said 'she had been suffering from diarrhoea and mild fever and was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday morning at 7:30 am. Till afternoon there was not even a single doctor to attend to her. Later in the afternoon, I found her unconscious and when I saw again she was dead. She had died at 1:30 pm. My family members and I approached the doctors repeatedly and pleaded with them to attend to my sister, but hospital officials said the doctors were on a strike.'
Around 900 resident doctors are employed in various departments of the city largest medical facility, Safdarjung Hopital and all of them were on strike on Wednesday, demanding regular salary payment, better hostel facilities and security in the campus. The deadlock between Safdarjung resident doctors and the government was solved after firm assurances from the government at 3.30 pm that their pending demands would be met. The doctors called off the strike after receiving assurance from top officers of the Union Health Ministry that all their demands, including that of new hostels, will be met.
B D Atthani, medical superitendent of the hospital said, 'Seventy per cent of the doctors were at work. So attributing the patient’s death to lack of medical care or the strike may not be correct. The patient is learnt to have had a cardiac problem and doctors were present at the cardiology department.'
Sameer Prabhakar, Resident Doctors Association spokesperson said, 'We joined work immediately after receiving assurance from the Union health secretary and other officials that our demands would be met'.
Apart from demands of regular salary to interns, availability of potable water in wards and enhanced security in campus, he said, the officials have also proposed three- four alternative plans to construct new hostels for resident doctors.
'We had called the strike on Tuesday evening as the hospital administration took only token measures last week to pacify us, but nothing constructive was done to look into our demands,' Prabhakar said.
Next Story
