Doctors on strike against NMC Bill, withdraw emergency services

New Delhi : Healthcare services at several government hospitals, including AIIMS and RML here, were disrupted on Thursday as resident doctors went on a strike and withdrew all services including that at the emergency department to protest a key legislation that seeks to regulate the medical education sector.

Resident doctors have threatened to continue the strike for an indefinite period if the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill is tabled and passed in Rajya Sabha on Thursday. Resident doctors will refrain from working in OPDs, emergency departments and ICUs as a mark of protest.

Resident Doctors' Associations (RDA) of the AIIMS, RML and some other hospitals in the city had given notices to the respective administrations regarding the strike on Wednesday. Several Delhi government hospitals too have joined the the stir on the call of FORDA.

"OPD services are closed and no new cards will be made for any patients. Services are expected to be hit in emergency department too, but we will try to manage," LNJP MS Dr Kishore Singh told PTI.

Following the strike notice, several hospital authorities have put in place contingency plans for the smooth functioning of healthcare services as a part of which emergency services will function with the help of sponsored residents/pool officers and faculty members. "In addition, faculty members of other medical/surgical departments wherever applicable will also be deployed in the emergency.

Further ICUs will also be managed with the help of sponsored residents/pool officers and faculty members. "Inpatient (general and private) wards patient care services, labour room and maternity operation theatre (OT) and support services will function normally and will be supervised by the faculty of hospital administration concerned," according to the contingency plan drawn by AIIMS.