Written By: Nirmalya Dutta | Updated : May 9, 2013 12:29 PM IST
After the Maharashtra Association of Residential Doctors (MARD), it s now Delhi s Safdarjung hospital's resident doctors turn to go on strike. They re demanding regular salaries, better hostel facilities and better security on campus. Over 600 residential doctors went on strike yesterday though the hospital authorities claim that it hasn t affected emergency facilities yet.
We are not being paid regular salary and even the accommodation for resident doctors is not sufficient. Our demands have not been met by the administration despite several assurances in the past. Hence, we have resorted to the strike , said a resident doctor. A meeting will be held with health ministry officials to resolve the demands, S N Makwana, PRO, Safdarjung Hospital said.
There s also a demand for enhanced security after doctors were attacked by aggrieved patients families. According to an insider, the major problem is clashes between senior residents and other members of the administration.
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The trend of going on strike to demand one's rights is a practice that got this country its independence but it's a tradition that needs to stop. We are no longer seeking independence from a foreign power. In the last one year, we've witnessed numerous strikes by doctors, chemists (who're going on strike tomorrow), nurses and other members of the healthcare services. Last year, when the Indian Medical Association (IMA) docs went on strike the Supreme Court asked the IMA if it was ethical for doctors to strike? It's quite a valid question. In a country like ours where the public healthcare system is endemic as it is, the last thing we need is innumerable strikes by doctors and other healthcare practitioners. It's actually illegal for them to go on strike because they provide essential services and can be booked under the Essential Services Maintenance Act but the law isn't implemented properly. Of course we realise, that many of the demands are perfectly legitimate and necessary but going on strike every time is not the solution and the administration needs to figure out a better way to deal with it, a way that doesn't make the common man suffer for the government's apathy.
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