DDU Hospital residents on indefinite strike; Services paralysed

New Delhi, Apr 19 (UNI) Resident doctors and interns in Deen Dayal Upadhayay (DDU) Hospital today went on an indefinite strike after a dead child's family attacked a doctor and nurse, alleging negligence in the patient's treatment.

Medical services, including ICU, Emergency and OPD, were completely paralysed in the hospital as more than 400 junior doctors went on strike. Grade five employees also joined the strike as a paramedic was also assaulted.

Patients are being turned away without treatment and asked to go to other hospitals.

The strike comes barely five days after Resident Doctors in another Delhi-Government-run hospital-- LNJP-- called off their three-day strike After a patient's family attacked a doctor.

The agitating DDU doctors are demanding improvement in the security set-up at the hospital and deployment of ex-service men besides police on the campus. They are also demanding a meeting with the Union Health Secretary.

''The doctors are attacked time and again... this is the third time in the recent past that a doctor has been attacked by the family of a patient. We will continue with the strike till the Government fulfils our demands,'' DDU RDA president Dr Pankaj Sabharwal told UNI.

He said the child, admitted in the pediatrics ward, had been brought to the hospital in a critical condition due to meningitis about 10 days ago and he died this morning due to medical complications.

''The patients family was told about his slim survival chances...

despite that they reacted violently,'' he claimed.

However, the child's family is alleging that he died due to negligence in treatment.

Dr Sabharwal said the security apparatus in the hospital had completely collapsed and the authorities concerned were not paying attention towards the safety of the doctors.

''At present we have just 80 private security guards on the campus we want that their strength be raised to 300 and deployment of ex-servicemen,'' he added.

He alleged that the some 20 to 25 family members of the child barged to the ward and assaulted Dr Ravi Kant, nurses and hospital attendants and damaged hospital property.

UNI