Doctors’ strike in delhi: 70-year-old woman dies due to ‘delay’ in treatment

A 70-year-old woman died at Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital (LNJP) here allegedly due to delay in treatment amid the ongoing strike called by doctors against the recommendations of the 7^th Pay Commission. Shabra Begum, a resident of Laxmi Nagar in east Delhi, had swelling and pain in her abdomen and respiratory problem and her son Shabbir alleged that they had to wait for nearly two hours for treatment due to the strike in the hospital.

“We reached the hospital around 10.30 AM and got the OPD (Out Patient Department) card made. We were then made to run around for treatment. “As my mother’s condition worsened, we took her to the emergency (ward) where nobody attended her for a long time. We were told that there were no doctors because of the strike and that she should be taken to AIIMS.

“Then finally a doctor came and gave her an injection following which she started frothing at the mouth and passed away around 12.30 PM,” said Shabbir. However, Medical Director, LNJP hospital, Dr Deepak Tempe said no patient died because he or she was unattended.

“1,691 patients were seen by doctors in OPD, while 185 patients were seen in the casualty till 4 PM,” he said, adding, “25 patients were admitted and there were three deliveries and 13 operations out of which three were major.”

“All these happened when most of the resident doctors were absent. That apart, 1,400 indoor patients were also looked after and provided necessary care. No patient died because he or she was unattended,” said Tempe.

While Begum died, several patients were left in lurch in the wake of the one-day strike called by more than 22,000 resident doctors in the national capital who are demanding increase in their salaries and allowances.

Patients who visited government hospitals for treatment had to face a harrowing time and were seen moving from pillar to post to get aid in light of the strike. There were banners and posters in the hospital which read:

“Come tomorrow for the treatment”. Similarly, an 18-year-old youth who met with an accident had to wait for long before getting treatment in the emergency section of the GTB Hospital, while a number of surgeries were postponed in several hospitals, sources said.

Meanwhile, doctors from LNJP, Ram Manohar Lohia, GB Pant and other government hospitals gathered at Lady Hardinge hospital and took out a protest march up to Jantar Mantar. They have threatened to go on indefinite strike from June 1, if their demands are not met.