Some 100 students and representatives of resident doctors of five premier medical colleges began an indefinite hunger strike at the prestigious All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here this morning.
The medicos disrupted normal and emergency services in some hospitals like RML Hospital. Official sources said emergency services in most hospitals were being run by senior doctors.
Union Health Secretary P Hota reviewed the situation in Delhi's hospitals at a high-level meeting, and authorities were directed to maintain essential services.
The medicos also intensified protests at Amritsar in Punjab, Ahmedabad in Gujarat and Cuttuck, Burla and Berhampur in Orissa. They struck work and forcibly closed out patient departments of government hospitals to protest the centre's proposal to introduce a 27% quota for OBCs in educational institutions.
Hundreds of patients and their relatives were seen desperately looking for help as authorities took steps to ensure that essential services were maintained. In Orissa, the government decided to re-deploy doctors from other districts to hospitals that were affected by the protests.
"We will continue our hunger strike and will not attend our duties," said Vinod Patro of the AIIMS Resident Doctors Association. (PTI)
Around 100 students and representatives of resident doctors of five premier medical colleges in the national capital began the hunger strike at the prestigious All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) this morning.
A meeting of the agitating medicos held yesterday decided to launch the hunger strike, which was joined by doctors and students of AIIMS, Maulana Azad Medical College, Lady Hardinge Medical College, University College of Medical Sciences and Vardhman Mahavir Medical College.
The protest affected normal medical services as well as emergency services in some hospitals like RML Hospital. Official sources said emergency services in most hospitals are being run by senior doctors.
"We will continue our hunger strike and will not attend our duties," said Vinod Patro of the AIIMS Resident Doctors Association.
"We demand a total roll back of the proposal to give 27% reservation to OBCs and a review of the present reservation policy," said Amitasha, a representative of students of Lady Hardinge Medical College.
"Yesterday's brutal police action on striking students in Mumbai trigerred us to call the indefinite hunger strike," she said.
Gearing up to meet the situation arising from the anti-quota stir by medicos, the central government today directed medical superintendents in all hospitals affected by the strike to maintain essential services.
Union Health Secretary P Hota reviewed the situation in Delhi's hospitals at a high-level meeting here.
"We have instructed all medical superintendents of hopsitals to make special arrangements for doctors to be on duty. An emergency duty system has been created and senior doctors and specialists have been pressed into service," an official said.
No hospital should turn back patients, officials said, adding authorities had been directed to ensure all important wings of the hospitals function smoothly. (PTI)