Srinagar, Apr 22: Following Government’s assurances of more security, the resident doctors at Lal Ded suspended their strike on Thursday. The doctors resumed work in the evening after six days.
 The move came after the Medical Education Minister, R S Chib, assured the doctors that more policemen would be deployed at the hospital to ensure their safety.
 “After assurance from Chib that that our demand will be considered, we resumed work,” the General Secretary of Junior Doctors Association, Dr Me’raj-ud-Din, told Greater Kashmir.
 JDA is, however, threatened to resume the strike if government failed to keep its promise. “We have only suspended the strike, but we will resume it if government failed to fulfill its promise,” he said.
 Around 60 junior and senior residents working had gone on strike on Saturday after being ruthlessly beaten up by the attendants of a woman who had died due to complications.
 Meanwhile, the healthcare system in the hospital remained crippled for the sixth consecutive day today.  In the absence of residents doctors, who constitute major work force of the hospital, work in all departments including Out Patient and In-Patient Departments suffered.
 Sources in the hospital said the OPD was run by few faculty members and doctors were called from GB Panth hospital to manage the crisis. But, they said, only three to four OPD rooms were functional which caused inconvenience to the patients. “The available workforce in the hospital isn’t enough to man the OPDs and most patients have to return dejected,” they said. Sources said only emergency surgeries were being conducted and cold surgeries had been getting postponed.
 “In the absence of doctors the faculty isn’t able to provide proper post operative care to the patients. Carrying out surgeries in routine numbers will thus tantamount to risking the live of the patients,” they said.
 Sources said the doctors normally associated with hospital administration were helping the faculty in managing the in-patient care.
 Apart from the additional security cover, the JDA has been demanding legislation for seriously dealing with any case of manhandling of doctors by attendants.
 When contacted, Chib said he had directed the police to set up a picket at the main entrance of the hospital and deploy more men there. “I personally felt that there shall be more policemen on duty at the main gate so that incidents of manhandling are avoided. I have directed the IGP, Kashmir range, to establish the picket,” he said.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 22 Apr 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 22 Apr 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 23 Apr 2010 00:00:00 IST