Doctors stage strike over manhandling incident at Delhi hospital

NEW DELHI - About 250 doctors at the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital here on Saturday refused to work, after a patient and his attendant manhandled a doctor at the hospital.

Many doctors assembled in the hospital premises but they did not join their duty.

According to the hospital authorities, a circular had been issued to the doctors to return to work.

“A circular has been given to all the heads of the departments that all the doctors should come on duty at 12. They have marked their attendance but they are not coming or work. Neither they have called for an official strike, nor are they coming for work,” said Dinesh Jain, a Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital official.

“At the time of Diwali when the hospital should be prepared in advance for any kind of incident, the doctors didn’t come for work. Patients come in heavy numbers at the time of Diwali. So the doctors have been ordered to come on duty and we are ready to talk to them, whatever problem they have. But till now nobody has come for talks,” said he added.

. Notice has been given to them to come on duty otherwise action will be taken on them,” he further informed.

Emergency services in the hospital were suspended, as doctors demanded better security arrangements at the hospital.

The strike has not been called off so far despite the management’s attempts at negotiating with the doctors.

Doctors of Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital had also gone on strike in September, 2010 to protest the misbehaviour of a patient’s relatives with one of the physicians. (ANI)