The indefinite strike at AIIMS began at 5 pm on Thursday
Resident doctors of AIIMS have gone on an indefinite strike from 5 PM on Thursday (26th April 2018) following an alleged assault on one of them.
Senior resident Dr. Vinit Mutha was allegedly assaulted on 25th April 2018 by Prof. Dr. Atul Kumar who is incharge of Dr. Rajendra Prasad Centre of AIIMS. Dr R. P. Centre is the ophthalmology wing of AIIMS.
Dr. Mutha was allegedly slapped in front of patients, nursing staff and colleagues. He has since gone home, is apprehensive about his future and is afraid to even file a complaint, according to a letter written by the AIIMS Resident Doctors’ Association to director Dr Randeep Guleria.
“In last two months about 15 resident doctors have sought consultation from Psychiatry department of AIIMS for depression”
The resident doctors association in its letter also talked about “multiple” such incidents of misbehaviour by Dr. Atul Kumar against other doctors including female residents. He also allegedly threatened the resident doctors that he would fail them in coming exams.
“In last two months about 15 resident doctors have sought consultation from Psychiatry department of AIIMS for depression,” the letter claims.
The resident doctors said they are anguished by the repeated “casual handling of the complaints by AIIMS authorities”. They have demanded the immediate resignation of Dr. Atul Kumar as the head of AIIMS R. P. Centre.
This incident along with multiple reports of stress related breakdowns and deaths by resident doctors across India raises questions about prevailing teacher-student equations in medical colleges. Urgent need of reforms in the form of regular feedback of senior faculties is the need of the hour.
