The hospital’s resident doctors went on strike Sunday after one of them was allegedly manhandled by a Delhi Police head constable’s son.Emergency and patient-care services at Safdarjung Hospital remained affected on Monday as around 1,600 resident doctors went on strike on Sunday. Several patients complained about not receiving treatment in the absence of resident doctors, with the family of an 18-year-old accident victim blaming doctors for their son’s death. Kishan Murari, who succumbed to his injuries Monday, was admitted in the hospital’s emergency department on Saturday.
The hospital’s resident doctors went on strike Sunday after one of them was allegedly manhandled by a Delhi Police head constable’s son.
The hospital’s out-patient department (OPD), which witnesses a footfall of around 8,000-10,000 patients a day, saw 3,723 cases owing to the strike, officials said.
The strike was called off late in the evening, after the administration assured doctors of their safety.
“Most of the demands made by the doctors have been met. None of the patients died due to the strike. We had pulled in our senior faculty members to manage the patient load,” Dr KT Bhowmik, additional medical superintendent of the hospital.
According to police, Akshay Kumar (24), son of head constable Vinod who is posted at Safdarjung Enclave police station, was taken to the hospital on Sunday morning after he complained of abdominal pain.
An argument broke out between Akshay and the doctor on duty over the former allegedly not being given priority and subsequent delay in treatment, a senior police officer said.
“Akshay allegedly punched the doctor, who sustained injuries on his nose. The accused left the hospital soon after the incident,” said a senior police officer.
A case under IPC sections 353/332/186/32 was registered and an inquiry has been ordered. The role of duty constable in instigating the accused is also being probed, police said.
