Delhi govt invokes ESMA but doctors continue with strike

The Delhi government on Tuesday invoked the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) to get 15,000 striking resident doctors at various city hospitals back at work. The Federation Of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) has demanded that the government come up with time-bound targets and official notifications to implement their demands.

The doctors, who have been on strike for the past two days, have been demanding security at work, availability of essential medicines, functioning medical equipment, regularisation of their services, among others. With out-patient departments (OPDs) and operation theatres (OTs) shut, over 25 hospitals, including central and Delhi government hospitals, are offering only emergency services with the casualty blocks functioning.

On Monday, the FORDA had a meeting with the Delhi government after Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal invited them for talks to address their concerns. The government subsequently made public the minutes of the meeting stating that 19 of their demands had been met and that doctors should get back to work. A deadline of 11 am on Tuesday was set for resumption of duties.

However, FORDA, dissatisfied with mere assurances, brainstormed on Tuesday and decided against going back to work unless concrete measures were taken.

Dr Navdeep Chahal, a senior resident at the Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Mangopluri, told Business Standard, "While patients are inconvenienced, as doctors, we are bearing the brunt of administrative failure and inadequate hospital facilities."

Chahal elaborated how patients and their families often flew off the handle when essential medicines were unavailable or testing equipment was non-functional. With resident doctor services not being regularised, ad-hoc doctor appointments for 89 days at a stretch was a recurrent feature with such doctors not entitled to earned leave or increments.

Doctors alleged that they had given the government three months' time to make good on their assurances after which they struck work in February. "The government promised to fulfil our demands but failed to deliver on them. The strike will continue until some tangible steps are taken," said Anshuman Raheja, spokesperson of FORDA.

Figuring among the demands are security by Home Guards in hospitals, timely disbursement of salaries of resident doctors, limited working hours, functional OTs and ensuring availability of generic drugs.

WHAT THE DOCS ORDERED

• Home Guards in hospitals
• Timely disbursement of salaries of resident doctors
• Limited working hours
• Functional OTs
• Ensuring availability of generic drugs