Doctors Begin Indefinite Strike Against National Medical Commission Bill

The Resident Doctors' Associations (RDA) of the AIIMS, RML and some other hospitals have given separate notices to the administration regarding the strike.

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New Delhi: Healthcare services at government hospitals, including AIIMS, Safdarjung and RML in Delhi have been severely hit as resident doctors have initiated an indefinite strike, including withdrawal of services at emergency departments, to protest against the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill. The bill, which seeks to replace the graft-tainted Medical Council of India (MCI), is slated to be tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday after the Lok Sabha gave its nod to it on July 29. "Resident doctors will refrain from working in OPDs, emergency departments and ICUs as a mark of protest on Thursday and the strike will continue for an indefinite period if the bill is tabled and passed in the Rajya Sabha," Dr Sumedh Sandanshiv, president, Federation of Resident Doctors' Association (FORDA), said, alleging that the bill was "anti-poor, anti-student and undemocratic". The Resident Doctors' Associations (RDA) of the AIIMS, RML and some other hospitals have given separate notices to the administration regarding the strike. Amid widespread protests, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan in a late night tweet said he will table the NMC bill for consideration and passage in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

Delhi: Resident doctors sit on strike in AIIMS (All India Institute Of Medical Sciences) against National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill, 2019. Resident Doctors Association is observing a one-day strike against provisions of National Medical Commission Bill,across the nation today pic.twitter.com/hzaQBGEylu

— ANI (@ANI) August 1, 2019

He also assured the country that the bill, if passed, will bring major changes in the medical education sector. Agitations continued at various hospitals as doctors wore black badges to work as a mark of protest against the bill. Following strike notice, several hospital authorities have issued a contingency plan for the smooth functioning of healthcare services as a part of which emergency services will function with the help of sponsored residents/pool officers and faculty members. "In addition, faculty members of other medical/surgical departments wherever applicable will also be deployed in the emergency. Further ICUs will also be managed with the help of sponsored residents/pool officers and faculty members. "Inpatient (General and Private) wards patient care services, Labour Room and Maternity Operation Theatre (OT) and support services will function normally and will be supervised by the concerned faculty of hospital administration," according to the contingency plan drawn by AIIMS. While Out Patient Department (OPD), dialysis, radio-diagnosis and laboratory diagnosis services are scheduled to function on a restricted basis, routine operation theatre services will largely remain suspended on Friday, the authorities said. Emergency cases of operations will be taken up as per requirement while for routine OT services patients will be taken up for surgery as per feasibility and mutual agreement between the concerned faculty of surgery and anaesthesiology.