Delhi doctors get notice

New Delhi, May 16 (UNI) Notices asking why disciplinary action should not be initiated against them have been issued to all senior doctors striking work in hospitals under Delhi government, state Health Minister Yoganand Shastri said today.

''Notices were issued yesterday to all regular senior doctors who joined the agitation on the reservation issue,'' he said.

''The notices have not been issued so far to the junior and senior resident doctors,'' he told UNI. He, however, did not rule out disciplinary action against the junior and senior residents for disrupting medical services. ''It can happen, but we have not decided on such a step so far,'' he said to a question.

The Minister maintained that many doctors had resumed work and were manning OPD and Emergency services following government directives. Leave of all doctors was cancelled and no fresh leave was being granted in view of the emergency situation, he said.

He had drawn up an action plan at a meeting with the Medical Superintendent of Maulana Azad Medical College Hospital and the plan was ''working'', the minister said.

Services were affected most in the Maulana Azad Medical College, the Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital, the Deendayal Upadhyay Hospital and the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narain Hospital.

There was lesser disruption of work in the Bab Saheb Ambedkar Hospital, the Maharishi Valmiki, Lal Bahadur Shashtri and the other hospitals under Delhi government, he added.

The government had yesterday directed medical superintendents of the over three dozen hospitals under it to maintain emergency services in the ICU, trauma and casualty wards at the normal level by deploying doctors from other departments.

The government had asked the Medical Superintendents to ensure that patients coming to the casualty ward were not sent back, especially cases dealing with medico-legal implications.

In case of emergency, the Medical Superintendents of government hospitals in liaison with the Medical Superintendents of private hospitals would transfer the critical cases from government to private hospitals, Mr Shastri had said.

Doctors from other departments were being diverted to ICU, emergency, casualty and trauma services, he added.

UNI VN RL RN1729