There are more than 300 junior doctors at GMC and 80 from four departments — majority from medicine — have been on forefront since the outbreak.

Junior Resident doctors of the medicine, orthopaedic, pulmonary, surgery and anesthesia departments at Government Medical College (GMC), Amritsar have claimed that they have been handling all the pressure in treating Covid-19 patients, while their seniors are mostly available only over phone. The hospital has been catering Covid-19 patients from eight districts of Punjab.

From the red area, where high-risk Covid patients are treated, or to flu corner, junior doctors have been deployed at every step and serving round the clock taking instructions from their senior mostly over phone.

There are more than 300 junior doctors at GMC and 80 from four departments — majority from medicine — have been on forefront since the outbreak.

“It has always been like this….even before the corona pandemic. So, junior doctors are used to it. Some of junior doctors are exhausted both physically and mentally too. We strongly feel that in this Covid crisis senior consultants must be present there round-the-clock in the Covid-19 wards,” said spokesman of Resident Doctors Association Government Medical College (RDAGMC).

He added, “We can’t take final decision over treatment and sometimes senior doctors are not available over phone. No junior doctor can say no to college administration or seniors because they have degrees to complete.”

“Now every junior doctor has to come for Covid-19 duty after 2 to 3 days. Same doctors are working in other wards and coming in contact with other patients,” said a junior doctor. “Junior doctors are being treated as bonded labourers as stipend they are getting is negligible. Still they are working tirelessly round,” said Jaspinder Partap Singh, president RDAGMC.

GMC Principal Rajiv Kumar Devgan said: “I have joined today. I will see if there are some issues. But we work as team to treat Covid-19 patients.”