AIIMS reminds protesting medicos of 'supreme duty', urges them to resume services

The director assured the agitating doctors that a committee had been set up to address any security concerns of the junior doctors.

Doctors stage a protest against the brutal rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at Kolkata s RG Kar Hospital, at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Wednesday. (Photo | Shekhar Yadav, EPS)

NEW DELHI: With the massive disruption in the patient care services at All India Institute of Medical Science(AIIMS), the institute’s director Dr M Srinivas on Wednesday urged the resident doctors to come back on duty.

The director assured the agitating doctors that a committee had been set up to address any security concerns of the junior doctors while reminding them about their “supreme duty” towards the patients.

“The entire AIIMS family stands behind the cause of the safety of all healthcare professionals at AIIMS New Delhi & across the country. However, as doctors, our supreme duty is also to ensure that the patients visiting our portals do not go unattended.,” the director’s letter to the doctors read.

“The Government of India is committed to the cause of healthcare professionals' safety unequivocally and the Hon'ble Supreme Court, while assuring affirmative action for ensuring safety of healthcare professionals, has requested all doctors to resume duties in the interest of patient care. Accordingly, the undersigned is kindly requesting the Resident Doctors of AIIMS New Delhi to resume their duties immediately so that patient care services are normalised,” the letter further read.

For 10 straight days, patient care at the premier hospital remained severely disrupted. According to the status report, 90 per cent of the surgeries were deferred. OPD registration declined by 65 per cent. However, ICU and emergency services continued to function normally.