DDU hospital docs continue strike; AIIMS RDA threatens joining

Services in about ten government hospitals in Delhi remained affected today as the resident doctors joined their counterparts in West Delhi's Deen Dayal Upadhyay hospital who are striking work since Monday over alleged assaults on their colleagues.
While routine and emergency services were hit at hospitals including Baba Saheb Ambedkar, Acharya Shree Bhikshu, Rao Tula Ram Memorial and Sanjay Gandhi memorial, the resident doctors at AIIMS threatened to go on strike if the government did not fulfil the demands of the doctors in DDU hospital in West Delhi.
On Monday the doctors in the DDU hospital emergency and the guards were allegedly beaten up by the relatives of a patient. Reportedly, the female doctors had to lock themselves up in the toilets to avoid assault on them.

"Three incidents of such assaults were reported within three hours from the hospital, which led to the resident doctors go on strike," a hospital official said.
Coming out in solidarity with their DDU counterparts, AIIMS Resident Doctors Association condemned the repeated attacks on resident doctors by anti-social elements.
"It is the duty of hospital administration and government to provide security at their work place," it said.
"We request government to fulfill the demands of the resident doctors with immediate effect... If this stubborn attitude of the government continues then resident doctors at AIIMS will be left with no other option except joining the striking doctors by strike at AIIMS," it added.

The incident at DDU Hospital occurred close on heels of a massive protest by resident doctors in Maharashtra who demanded security for hospital staff and themselves following a spate of assaults on them.