By IANS,
New Delhi : Nearly 5,000 patients are suffering every day as junior doctors of the state-run Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital continued their strike for the fourth consecutive day Thursday.
“We know, the patients are facing a lot of problems. Nearly 5,000 patients from Delhi and its neighbouring states visit our hospital’s out-patients departments (OPDs) every day, and these people are suffering the most,” LNJP additional medical superintendent Anjan Prakash told IANS.
Prakash, however, said the senior doctors are managing the emergency services. “Though OPD services were badly hit, we are managing the emergency care for critical patients,” she added.
She said the hospital administration is holding talks with the resident doctors’ association.
Over 200 junior doctors have struck work since Monday, demanding better security arrangements and availability of life saving drugs.
“It is a pity that a leading hospital does not have adequate life-saving drugs,” said a resident doctor of the hospital.
Doctors said cases of patients’ relatives attacking them are increasing and their earlier protests have not yielded any result.
“We need better security and the government and hospital administration must arrange for it,” a junior doctor said.
The 78-year-old, 1,850-bed LNJP Hospital is one of the leading healthcare service providers in the national capital, and is run by the Delhi government. But it has been in news the last few years for attacks on doctors by patients’ relatives.
Prakash said the Delhi government has already given a go-ahead for appointing 125 extra security guards. “You cannot get 125 reliable guards in one day. We are recruiting them and urge resident doctors to return to duty.”
“We are in talks with the junior doctors. We hope they will return to work soon. We don’t want patients to suffer for a longer time,” she added.