AIIMS Delhi surgeries down by 80%, admissions drop amid strike over Kolkata doctor's rape-murder

New Delhi: Surgeries at AIIMS Delhi saw an 80 per cent drop and admissions were down by 35 per cent on Monday, officials said, as the hospital's resident doctors began an indefinite strike to protest the rape and murder of a fellow doctor in Kolkata.

However, emergency and ICU services functioned normally, they added.

"All elective admissions will be stopped with immediate effect and only emergency admissions will be done till the time strike is called off," read a notification shared by the premier hospital on Monday.

The Delhi AIIMS' Resident Doctors' Association (RDA) on Monday morning joined the the Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) in its nationwide strike on Monday morning, suspending all elective and non-essential services, including OPDs and patient wards.

Dr Raghunandan Dixit, General Secretary of AIIMS RDA said emergency care will continue to ensure critically ill patients do not suffer and receive treatment. A total of 625 admissions, including 409 at the main hospital, were done on Monday, the officials of AIIMS Delhi said.

Among the other services affected by the strike, the outpatient departments (OPD) recorded a 20 per cent reduction in registrations, laboratory services reduced by 25 per cent and radiological investigations 40 per cent, they said.

Elective admissions have been suspended but emergency admissions are on, they added.

According to the AIIMS officials, surgeries in OTs were restricted to vital elective cases and emergency cases only.

Of the total surgeries performed today, 98 were major, while 94 minor, they said.

Besides, 538 emergency cases were attended to, with the authorities saying that emergency services ran normally with all resident doctors attending to their duties, backed up by their respective faculty.

The AIIMS Delhi administration on Monday afternoon issued a contingency plan to ensure critical and other patient care services are minimally disrupted in view of the indefinite strike by the resident doctors.

The contingency plan issued by AIIMS Delhi Director Dr M Srinivas stated that emergency services will function normally as the resident doctors will "purportedly continue to work" in the emergency services as per their scheduled duties.

According to the document, the OPD services at AIIMS Delhi will function on a restricted basis from Monday until normalcy is restored.

However, consultation for emergency patients will be provided by the faculty-on-call of the clinical departments concerned supported by sponsored resident doctors, pool officers, resident doctors willing to work or research medical staff of the speciality department concerned, it said.

"Under no circumstances, any inpatient ward will function without physical availability of doctors of the concerned speciality," the document said.

The heads of different speciality departments have been directed to draw up appropriate plan or duty rosters to ensure timely consultation and treatment for emergency patients.

Only patients with prior appointment -- new as well follow -up -- will be registered in the morning OPDs.

For afternoon speciality clinics, only follow-up patients with prior appointment will be registered, the document said.

The OPD registration of all new patients will be restricted and will be done as per availability of doctors in the respective OPDs on a case-to-case basis.

The inpatient ICU services will function normally as the resident doctors will "purportedly" continue to work as per their scheduled duties, the document stated.

The labour room and maternity OT will remain functional, it added.

For routine OT services, patients will be taken up for surgery as per feasibility and mutual agreement between the faculty of surgery concerned and anaesthesiology department.

Raising concerns about the integrity of the ongoing probe, resident doctors of the hospital have called for transparent investigation into the case, requesting an immediate transfer to the CBI.

"We also want that adequate compensation should be given to the bereaved family of the victim. The horror of this atrocity, occurring in a place meant to heal and save lives, is a grim reminder of the severe threat faced by those who serve," Dr Dixit said.

"Our hearts are heavy with profound grief and shock over this heinous act. Even as time has passed, the wheels of justice have moved slowly. The investigation into this horrific crime has yet to bring forth answers, and the lack of resolution only deepens our despair and frustration," the AIIMS Delhi RDA said in a statement.

The strike comes in response to a call from the FORDA after a postgraduate trainee doctor was raped and murdered at the RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata while on duty.

While several government hospitals had announced strike on Sunday itself, AIIMS Delhi announced it around 11.30 am.

Junior doctors from multiple hospitals in the national capital, including centrally-run facilities AIIMS, RML Hospital and Safdarjung Hospital, began strike in the morning, causing hardships to patients who visited OPDs of the medical facilities only to be returned without any consultation.