Hospital wards shut down as strike enters day 6

Healthcare services, except the emergency wards, in many hospitals run by Municipal Corporations in Delhi witnessed a shutdown on Monday as doctors, nurses and medical staff suspended work as part of the indefinite strike by Municipal Corporation employees.

Around 2,000 consultants, 5,000 resident doctors and 13,000 nurses have joined the strike by Municipal Corporation employees over non-payment of salaries for the past three months.

“All the patients who were not critical have been discharged and we are not taking any new admissions. Even in the emergency ward, we are treating only the critical patients,” Dr Aditya Gupta, president of the resident doctors’ association at Hindu Rao hospital, the biggest run by the MCD, said.

Delhi, meanwhile, witnessed another messy day with heaps of garbage not cleared off its streets as the strike, called in by MCD employees of all departments, entered day six on Monday. As per the report, the strike has resulted in at least 40,000 metric tonne of garbage being kept unattended in various nooks and corners. The worst part was that the agitating employees, littered garbage on roads resulting in chaos everywhere. The protesting employees, in order to mark their protest, dumped garbage in front of Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu’s residence while scattering more on the roads. 

The agitating safai karmis also targeted the residence of Delhi Tourism minister Kapil Mishra in Yamuna Vihar. They gathered in front of the house and shouted slogans against him before littering garbage there.

East Delhi has been the worst hit as protesters not only dumped garbage on roads but also blocked traffic. Protests were also witnessed outside offices of the three Municipal Corporations, including zonal offices. Early in the morning, hundreds of sanitation workers staged protests at EDMC headquarters in Patparganj and burnt effigies of CM Arvind Kejriwal and EDMC Mayor Harsh Malhotra.

“As we have decided to intensify our stir, we have been gathering near the residences of prominent leaders and protesting. As the agencies have failed to pay salaries and other dues, we have no option but to resort to these means. We will keep agitating till our due salaries are not released,” said Sanjay Gehlot, president of Swatantra Majdoor Vikas Sanyukta Morcha.