The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Junior doctors adamant

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Thursday, Dec 06, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Junior doctors adamant

Boycott emergency services at Niloufer, OGH

Eight deaths at Niloufer in the last 48 hours
Doctors, nurses from area hospitals join duty

Photo: Mohd. Yousuf

Tender touch: A doctor examining a child at the outpatient ward of Niloufer Hospital on Wednesday. -

HYDERABAD: The impact of junior doctor’s strike could be felt in all Government Hospitals in the twin cities where inflow of patients came down drastically on Wednesday. The agitation was further intensified with the junior doctors, demanding the arrest of MIM legislator Afsar Khan, boycotting the emergency services too at Niloufer and Osmania General Hospital.

With medical facilities not available fully and lives at stake, patients grudgingly had to opt for small and medium sized diagnostics centres, clinics and private hospitals.

Niloufer Hospital authorities confirmed eight deaths in the last 48 hours. “Seven of them died within few hours of arrival. For only one case, we had sufficient time and we did our best. However, that case too was pretty complicated because it was a brain fever case,” said Niloufer Superintendent S. Narasimha Reddy.

Flow of out-patients at Gandhi and Osmania General Hospitals decreased considerably while at Niloufer Hospital, the police outnumbered the patients. On an average, Gandhi Hospital alone receives over 1,000 outpatients daily. On Wednesday, the number dwindled to around 300. So was the case at Osmania General Hospital.

“Because of the strike, patients are panicking and not visiting the out-patient departments. We want to assure them that everything at Gandhi Hospital is normal and patients can come for treatment,” informed Superintendent of Gandhi Hospital B. Balraju.

Those who went to Government Hospitals had to contend with postponement of elective surgeries and appointments. The stock reply from the authorities was that all the senior doctors were busy looking after in-patients. On Wednesday, post-graduate students of Osmania Medical College working at OGH and Niloufer Hospital decided not to attend emergency services and elective surgeries. However, the PG students of Gandhi Medical College continued to attend emergency services on the condition that if Government does not give-in to their demand, they would re-think their future strategy to intensify the stir.

The authorities, however, are putting up a brave front. “About 30 nurses and 25 doctors from various other area hospitals have joined us. We will do our best to continue our services. On an average, we conduct eight to 10 elective surgeries. Yesterday we could manage three. We hope to restore normalcy,” the Niloufer superintendent said.

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