Doctors disrupt AIIMS OPD service with strike

NI Wire

New Delhi

Thu, 29 Nov 2007: 

Nov 29:  The Resident Doctors of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) have once again decided to go on indefinite strike by going against the order of Supreme Court and Delhi High Court om Thursday morning, but this time the strike is against the purposed bill that sets the tenure of Director of the AIIMS thereby questioning the autonomy of the institute.

This time also it’s a part of long dramatic tussle between the Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss and the present AIIMS Director P. Venugopal. With personal ego clash between the two high profile personality the premier medical institute of the country has become a battle ground leaving the general public as the sole object of persecution.

In fact the Health Minister in order to sack the director from his post has found an alternative through the AIIMS Amendment Bill 2007. The Minister presented the bill in the Parliament, which the upper house Rajya Sabha passed on Wednesday laying down the exit of Director Venugopal. The bill was earlier approved in Lok Sabha amid protest from opposition.

In fact the bill aims to fix the term of Director of the AIIMS at 5 years with a maximum age limit of 65 years. In addition the bill provides power to health ministry for removing a director with a three months notice. As per the doctors of the institute, the bill is not only a direct attack on Dr Venugopal but also questioning the autonomy of the institute i.e. the major concern of doctor’s community.

Though some section of doctors welcomed the bill but a large number of doctors are against this and hence the Resident Doctor’s Associations (RDA) announced to go on indefinite strike by first preventing service on OPD and if government continues to its stand then the doctors association has also threatened to put a halt to emergency services.

The bill is now in its last phase requiring only President’s stamp before becoming an enforceable law. However, doctors demanded the withdrawal of the bill immediately by the government.

There has been more than one occasion when the Minister and the Director of the institute didn’t hesitate to display their differences openly but this doesn’t seems to be the climax of the year-long battle, as doctors have put their right step forward in protest and safeguarding the independence of the foremost institute.