BHU doctor's continue indefinite stir, stage street plays

Varanasi, May 17 (UNI) The indefinite strike by junior doctors of Sir Sunder Lal Hospital (SSU) in Banaras Hindu University (BHU) over the reservation issue today entered the second day, even as efforts by the authorities to end the stalemate failed.

Resident Doctors Association (RDA) president Mahesh Kante told UNI the Institute of Medical Sciences (IMS), BHU, director Gajendra Singh met the agitating doctors and students this afternoon, but the meeting remained inconclusive.

''We refused to heed their request of resuming duties and classes. On the contrary, the IMS director and other teachers had offered their moral support to the stir,'' Dr Avinash Singh said.

Meanwhile, services at the SSU hospital have come to a halt following the strike. All services including OPD, indoor and emergency services have been paralysed.

''Till yesterday 40 cases were reported at the emergency wing, but today only two cases have been reported since morning. All beds in emergency ward are empty and cases, which were coming to the wing could not be admitted to other specialised wards due to non availability of resident doctors,'' the attending consultant at the ward said.

The SSU wore a deserted look as patients coming to the OPD in the hospital had no other alternative, but to resort to parellel, but makeshift OPD of the striking doctors outside the IMS campus.

''We do not want the patients to suffer, rather we are using the parellel OPD to treat them out of our own resources as well as draw our point on the reservation issue to the public through patients,'' Dr Singh added.

Meanwhile, the agitating medicos who attempted boot polish, car cleaning on roads yesterday to draw home their point, today connected with the commoners through street plays condemning the entire UPA government on the issue.

Enacted by Varun Dipak playing PM Manmohan Singh, Baldip Kaur Maan (Sonia Gandhi), Kapil Sharma (Arjun Singh) and others -- all MBBS students -- the street play at the IMS campus and Lanka crossing drew huge crowd response.

The agitating medicos will tomorrow take out a motorcycle rally around the city, to protest Centre's proposed move to give 27 per cent reservation to OBC in higher education.

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