Hindu Rao Hospital strike in Delhi: Resident doctors withdraw services

NEW DELHI: With Sunday's deadline for releasing pending salaries of healthcare workers not met by the administration, the Resident Doctors Association (RDA) of North Delhi Municipal Corporation-run Hindu Rao Hospital has started its strike even though most of the Covid patients from the facility had been transferred to Delhi government hospitals a day earlier.
The civic body initiated the intensive sanitization of the premises on Sunday with plans to restart the non-Covid normal operations in the hospital in the coming days. The RDA continued its protest with nurses and doctors on the gates of the hospital. The association has announced that they will continue not to co-operate with the administration unless their pending salaries are paid and that the withdrawal of services will be continued even for normal operations.
The hospital being sanitized in preparation for re-starting non-Covid normal services
The RDA had earlier issued a 48hour ultimatum expiring on Monday 9am after which they were to withdraw all the services from Covid operations. Barring three critical patients, all other patients were shifted to LNJP hospital (17) and Aruna Asaf Ali hospital (3) on Saturday.
Dr Abhimanyu Sardana, who heads the RDA said that they will continue the one week long protest series. “The administration tried to negotiate with us by giving verbal assurances but we have only one simple demand that our salaries should be paid. How is anyone expected to live a normal life with salaries not being paid for three to four months? The verbal assurances have never been fulfilled in the past. We have withdrawn our services today. We are on strike and even if non-Covid normal services are started the situation will continue to remain the same," he added.
Dr Sagardeep Bawa, vice-president of the association said that no resolution has been found. "On Monday, we are planning to meet the commissioner and additional commissioner. Our daily protest on the Hindu Rao gates will continue," he added.
One of the biggest hospitals in the region, the 980 bed Hindu Rao hospital used to cater to 2000-3000 patients in its OPD services in the pre-Covid times. Jai Prakash, mayor of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation said that normal operations will be started during this week. “We have to complete the entire process. Earlier the entire system, including the emergency services, testing, ICU, were modeled as a covid facility. The department duty roster will have to be rearranged and the healthcare workers who have been diverted to other hospitals will be recalled,” he added. Mayor added that he is negotiating with the doctors association and the situation will be resolved soon.