Rajindra hospital: Doctors put on emergency duty threaten to go on strike
the newly appointed medical superintendent of Government Rajindra Hospital has put all specialist doctors, who are doing senior residency (SR), on emergency duties at the hospital on Saturday.
However, the decision of assigning additional duties to the SR doctors has triggered a row and they have threatened the authorities of going on an indefinite strike from Monday.
The senior residency doctors boycotted their new additional duties on Saturday. However, they continued to perform their routine duties at the hospital.
They said that they are already over burdened due to shortage of 62.5% SR doctors in all clinical and non-clinical departments of Rajindra hospital and now the hospital authorities are forcing them to do emergency duties as well, in addition to the regular work.
Dr Nitin Chhabra, president of the Resident Doctors’ Association, said that the state government has appointed emergency medical officers (EMO) to dispense emergency services round-the-clock.
“There are over 200 posts of senior residents at Rajindra hospital and only 75 of them are currently occupied. On the other side, of the six posts of EMOs, four are filled,” he said.
“The medical superintendent has put all senior residents to perform duties of EMOs. The decision is uncalled for and against the curriculum of senior residents. The association condemns this decision as these things discourage doctors from opting for senior residency and will further aggravate the shortage of SRs,” Dr Nitin added.
Dr Gagandeep Singh, secretary of the association, said, “Due to shortage of SRs, we are already doing work of three persons every day. Now the hospital authorities have asked us to do duties of the emergency medical officers as well, which is unfair.”
Paras Pandav, medical superintendent of Government Rajindra Hospital, said, “The directorate of research and medical education (DRME), the principal and I have mutually decided to put the SRs on emergency services. They will supervise, guide and help the EMOs to provide better health care services.”