Resident Doctors at AIIMS Patna Go on Indefinite Strike Following Alleged Assault by MLA and His Wife

Resident doctors at Patna's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) went on an indefinite strike on Friday, affecting patient care and hospital services, following an alleged incident of misbehaviour, intimidation, and assault involving Chetan Anand, RJD MLA from Sheohar, his wife Dr Ayushi Singh, and their security guards.

The agitating doctors, nearly 500 in number, claimed that senior doctors and medical faculty members were continuing with emergency services, but patient care services took a hit as junior doctors abstained from duty. At 2,000, AIIMS recorded only half its average daily OPD patient footfall on Friday, with new patient admission dipping to 43% its average daily admission of 200.

Key Takeaways:

• The strike, which began on Friday, is an indefinite protest demanding safety of doctors at workplace, removal of names of doctors mentioned in the FIR, a formal written assurance, and public condemnation of the incident by the AIIMS administration.
• The incident occurred on July 30 when Anand, his wife, and their armed security personnel reportedly forced their way into the trauma centre, causing panic among staff and patients.
• Doctors alleged that they were subjected to threats, abuse, and fear inside their own workplace, and the MLA's wife even passed treatment instructions to the resident doctors.
• No FIR has been filed, and the administration has taken no decisive legal or institutional action to protect its staff or pursue justice.
• The RDA cautioned the AIIMS administration that unless its demands were met promptly, emergency services may be completely withdrawn.
• Senior police officials and state health authorities are reportedly trying to de-escalate the situation behind the scenes.

Statistics:

• AIIMS recorded only half its average daily OPD patient footfall on Friday, with 1,000 patients.
• New patient admission dipped to 43% its average daily admission of 200, with only 86 new patients admitted.
• Trauma and emergency services were severely affected, with only two admissions and four surgeries recorded during the last 24 hours against an average 12 admissions a day.
• Barely one-third the average daily 90 elective surgeries were performed during the day, with 30 surgeries completed.

Sources:

• "Resident doctors of Patna's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) went on an indefinite strike on Friday..." - HT Patna
• "City SP Bhanu Pratap Singh confirmed FIRs have been lodged on both sides and police investigations are underway." - HT Patna