Doctors strike work; Services hit across capital

New Delhi, May 15: Medical services in government and private hospitals in the capital were severely hit today as doctors struck work against police action on Mumbai's agitating students and the Government proposal to reserve 27 per cent seats for OBCs in centres of higher learning.

Patients were being sent back as senior doctors, consultants, resident and junior doctors boycotted work on the call of a ''medical bandh'' by the Indian Medical Association (IMA).

But for emergency units, services in Delhi's 5 premier government hospitals including AIIMS, and several private hospitals, including Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and Escorts Heart Institute, were severely impacted.

''The operations have been impacted. Only the emergency unit is functioning. Otherwise patients are being sent back. Our doctors are supporting the IMA call and the anti-reservation agitation,'' Sir Ganga Ram Hospital Chairman Dr S K Sama told UNI.

However, emergency units of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, the Safdarjang, Guru Tegh Bahadur, Maulana Azad and the Lok Nayak Jaiprakash Narain Hospitals were functioning.

The doctors are holding protests at Raj Ghat today.

Meanwhile, agitating students, who started an indefinite hunger strike yesterday at AIIMS, said they will continue with the agitation till the government fulfills the demand of a roll-back.

''This agitation is not just limited to medical students.

Students from across the country are joining the agitation.

Today students from Delhi College of Engineering joined us,'' said Amitasha Sinha of Lady Hardinge Medical College said.

About 100 medical students began the indefinite strike fast on Sunday.

On Friday medical students in Mumbai braved police batons while protesting against increase in OBC quota.

The peaceful protest turned unruly when the police used force to break open students' cordon obstructing traffic. A few girl medicos suffered injuries during the melee.

Hundreds of medical students clashed here with the police on Friday as they tried to march towards the Prime Minister's North Block office in protest against the Government proposal.

The students say the reservation move is anti-merit and would push back India's development.

UNI

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