Doctors at AIIMS-Delhi, Ram Manohar Lohia hospital call off 11-day strike

Resident Doctors’ Association ends strike after Supreme Court intervention, demands safety guidelines implementation for healthcare workers.

The Resident Doctors’ Association (RDA) for two Central government hospitals — Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Ram Manohar Lohia — called off their 11-day strike on Thursday (August 22, 2024). This comes after the Supreme Court, the Union Health Ministry and hospitals appealed to the resident doctors to resume their duties in the interest of patient care.

RDAs across India had declared an indefinite strike, suspending all elective and non-essential services including outpatient department services, to protest the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at a government hospital in Kolkata. The strike severely disrupted patient services in hospitals across India as doctors demanded better safety at the workplace.

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The AIIMS RDA said the resident doctors would continue their struggle through “symbolic protest after duty hours till justice is served and implementation of safety guidelines”.

“We extend our sincere appreciation to the Supreme Court for taking cognizance of the RG Kar Medical College incident and addressing the issue of safety and security for healthcare workers across the country. We also commend the formation for the National Task Force (NTF) to ensure that these concerns are addressed promptly and effectively,” the RDA said.

The Association also urged the authorities to strictly adhere to the directives issued by the Supreme Court. “We appreciate the court’s directive that no punitive action be taken against the protesting doctors. We thank everyone who supported us in our pursuit of justice. Our commitment to our responsibilities remains steadfast, and we will continue to advocate for the rights and safety of healthcare workers through engagement with various authorities, ministries, institutional heads, members of the National Task Force, and the Supreme Court and our demand for CPA,” the AIIMS RDA said.