Delhi health min writes to Centre after LHMC docs go on strike

A strike called by the resident doctors at Lady Hardinge Medical College Hospital, which is a designated facility for treating swine flu cases here, saw Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain today writing to the Centre asking it to address the protesters' concerns in order to get them to withdraw their stir.
The doctors, who had gone on a strike over the alleged manhandling yesterday of a woman doctor by the attendant of a patient, were demanding better security on the hospital premises for preventing such incidents. They called off the strike later today.
"I wrote to the Centre urging them to take necessary steps to get the strike called off as Lady Hardinge Medical College hospital is a designated hospital for the treatment of swine flu and it falls under the Union Health Ministry.

"Patients of swine flu were facing problems due to the strike. Children affected by the HIN1 virus influenza, too, were admitted at the hospital," Jain told PTI.
Following Jain's letter, the Director of LHMC, Dr Atul Murari, held a meeting with the doctors on strike and additional security was deployed on the hospital campus by the evening.
"What took place raises concerns about the safety and security of doctors on the hospital premises. This should be a wake up call for the hospital administration," said LHMC Resident Doctors' Association (RDA) President, Virender Chouhan.
The attendant of a patient admitted at the hospital allegedly manhandled a woman resident doctor on night duty on Wednesday following which around 1,100 resident doctors and MBBS students launched a protest last night demanding adequate security on hospital premises.

However, emergency and critical care services at the hospital were not disrupted, officials said.