By IANS,
New Delhi : Over 300 medical students and some junior doctors of the Safdarjung Hospital went on hunger strike Tuesday demanding “basic facilities” like water, working lifts and air-conditioning in their hostel.
The students of Vardhaman Mahavir Medical College (VMCC), the hospital’s medical college, complained they were without drinking water, lifts and air-conditioning for the past two months.
The students were sitting on hunger strike outside the OPD (out patients department) of the Safdarjung Hospital. However, the strike did not affect functioning of the OPD, which is visited by 8,000 patients in a day.
“We have been repeatedly requesting the administration to take action but this has fallen on deaf ears. That is why we were compelled to call the strike,” Karan Vats, president of the Students Welfare Association of the VMMC, told IANS.
When contacted, a college official said: “The college authorities have promised the agitating students they will fulfil their demands.”
However, the students are in no mood to give up the hunger strike. They claim the college authorities have made such promises in the past too.
“Our strike is not disturbing the patients coming to the hospital,” Vats added.
The resident doctors are likely to join the strike too, Aashima, a third-year MBBS student, told IANS.
She said over 120 students were packed in a class room, that has no ventilation. And there was no provision of drinking water in the building.
“Two first-year MBBS students who were writing their exams fainted because their room had no proper ventilation or drinking water.”
“The college administration has not paid heed to our problems. We have been knocking on the doors of the medical superintendent and the principal,” she said.
The students association approached Director General of Health Services R.K. Srivastava last month but there has been no change in the conditions.
“The hunger strike will go on till the health minister (Ghulam Nabi Azad) meets us and hears our grievances,” said Vats.