Medical services resume in AIIMS

New Delhi, Jul 8: Medical services, including OPD, resumed in All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) today after a three-day strike by doctors and medical students.

While Out Patient Department (OPD) started functioning from this morning, the emergency and casualty had began services last night.

Long queues were seen outside the OPD as patients thronged the healthcare institute for treatment. The doctors were back to work early this morning in the department attending to the patients and trying to clear the heavy backlog.

Patients bore the brunt of the medical lock-out as they were asked either to return or go to alternative institutes.

Two patients-- Sarvesh Kumar and Ramjeet-- had allegedly died due to lack of treatment during the strike period.

AIIMS spokesperson Dr Shakti Gupta said the services are back to normal and patients were being attended to.

''Work is back to normal and patients are being attending to,'' he added.

Yesterday, AIIMS doctors and medical students called off their three-day strike held in protest against dismissal of Director P Venugopal following the High Court's stay on the controversial decision.

The decision was taken at the General Body Meeting of the members of AIIMS Faculty Association, Residents doctors and medical students after ''studying the court order in detail''.

''In the interest of patients, we are calling off the strike...

medical services will resume in AIIMS,'' AIIMS Students' union leader Sasmit Sarangi said.

Welcoming the court order, he said it was the victory of truth.

''We stand vindicated.... Dr Venugopal is back and this is a welcome step,'' he added.

Coming down heavily on the Union Health Minister, he said Dr Anbumani Ramadoss' ''autocratic functioning'' will not be accepted.

The striking doctors and students were demanding immediate reinstatement of Dr Venugopal, no dilution of AIIMS autonomy and resignation of Dr Ramadoss.

Dr Venugopal was dismissed on Wednesday by the Institute Governing Body, headed by Dr Ramadoss, for violating the code of conduct of the premier institute.

UNI