NEW DELHI: Unprecedented scenes unfolded on a city road as resident doctors, now on the eighth day of their strike, turned the street outside Nirman Bhavan, the Union Ministry of Health's headquarters, into an open sky multi-specialty OPD.
Over 50 doctors from 36 specialties, including neurology, orthopedics, medicine and surgery, sat on the ground, offering consultations to patients.
Holding A4 sheets that listed their medical expertise, the doctors formed a queue opposite the ministry. Equipped with basic diagnostic tools like stethoscopes, thermometers, BP machines, glucometers and direct ophthalmoscopes, they attended to patients, inquiring about their medical history and writing prescriptions on the back of pamphlets which were also distributed to passersby to raise awareness about the doctors’ ongoing movement.
When asked about their unconventional protest, the doctors explained that they now feel safer on the streets, surrounded by police, than within their hospital walls.
"OPDs are practically shut as we’ve abstained from work for over a week. There's a growing sentiment that we don’t want to work, but that’s not true. Our demand for safety is ultimately in the patients’ best interest. We can only work when we feel safe. Right now, we feel safer on the road, surrounded by police, than in our unguarded hospitals. We want to convey that we’re ready to work wherever we feel safe, and that’s what a central law could ensure,” said Dr. Pratigya from RML Hospital.
“Even after seven days, we’re still waiting. As we’ve said before, the strike will continue indefinitely until our demands are met,” she added.
Dr Akshita from Safdarjung Hospital echoed these sentiments, saying, “We’re not afraid of work. We’re always available for our patients, but we need a safe and conducive environment to practice. What happened to the doctor in Kolkata could happen to any of us. I’m a PG trainee just like her. My parents now call me four times a day just to check if I’m okay. Our hospitals are not safe. The security we have is abysmal. Is it too much to ask for a safe working environment? We’re not even talking about the pathetic state of basic necessities like drinkable water and clean toilets that we lack in hospitals.”
In a sombre turn, the doctors also declared that this year's Raksha Bandhan would be observed as a black day, given the medical fraternity's failure to protect one of its own.
"All brothers have failed to provide justice to our sister in Kolkata. Justice delayed is justice denied and we have to protect all our colleagues from such incidents in future to fulfill our duty as brothers on Raksha Bandhan," said Dr Rajesh Acharya, Senior Neurosurgeon, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.
