NEW DELHI: A full-blown healthcare crisis unfolded in the capital on Monday with over 50,000 OPD consultations and more than 1,000 surgeries stalled in the wake of an indefinite strike launched by resident doctors in protest of the heinous rape-murder of a fellow collegue from Kolkata.
Elective services at prominent city hospitals including AIIMS, Maulana Azad Medical College, RML Hospital, Lady Hardinge Medical College, Safdarjung Hospital, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, GTB Hospital, Baba Saheb Ambedkar Medical College, and National Institute of TB and Respiratory Diseases, remained heavily impacted. Together, these hospitals cater to more than 50,000 patients daily.
The widespread protest left patients stranded. AIIMS alone reported a whopping 80% drop in surgeries and a 35% decline in hospital admissions. “98 major and 96 minor surgeries were taken up in the day which is only 20% of the daily cases handled,” an official said.
Meanwhile, the radiological diagnostic services including X-ray, CT scan and MRI were reduced by 40%, as per the status report of the institute.
Resident doctors across government hospitals have declared a complete boycott of routine services, including patient consultations, lab tests, and elective surgeries. However, emergency services continued to function normally at the hospitals as the striking doctors remained on duty in these critical departments. The associations of hospitals who called the strike have ensured that while outpatient departments (OPDs), operation theatres (OTs), and ward duties are stunted, emergency services will continue unaffected.
However, the healthcare crisis is expected to deepen further as the meeting between doctors and the Union health Ministry remained inconclusive. The associations said the strike would continue and more hospitals are expected to join the movement.
Contingency measures slash services, focus to emergencies
In response to the do ctors’ strike, city hospitals are scrambling to implement emergency measures to address the crisis. The sweeping strike has led to drastic changes in hospital operations, including curtailed services, canceled staff leaves, and deployment of senior doctors to handle the surge in patient needs.
AIIMS Delhi has announced that OPD services will operate on restricted basis until normalcy is restored. According to the contingency plan, only patients with prior appointments, both new and follow-up, will be registered in the morning OPDs. Registration for new patients will be limited and handled on a case-by-case basis, officials informed.
Similarly, Safdarjung Hospital has decided to suspend afternoon and evening OPD clinics until the situation stabilizes. Elective admissions have been suspended, with only emergencies being processed. Laboratory and diagnostics services will be operating on restricted basis.