Doctors Strike Over Assault Allegations

Resident doctors at AIIMS Nagpur initiated a strike on Thursday, withdrawing non-emergency Outpatient Department (OPD) and Inpatient Department (IPD) services. This action, including the halting of elective surgeries, was a protest against the alleged assault and death threats directed at a resident doctor in the MICU on September 22. The Resident Doctors' Association (RDA) reported that the protest significantly impacted OPD services and ward rounds throughout the day.

The strike was suspended in the evening after AIIMS Nagpur president Dr. Anant Pandhare and executive director Dr. Prashant Joshi provided assurances to address the doctors' demands. RDA president Dr. Rishabh Dwivedi stated the suspension would last until Tuesday, September 29. Emergency and critical-care services, including ICUs, remained operational during the protest. Regular services are scheduled to recommence on Friday morning.

The RDA had submitted demands on September 23, citing incomplete fulfillment as the reason for the strike. Key demands include the hospital administration pressing the police commissioner for the arrest of the accused and a conversion of the FIR from an individual complaint to an institutional one. The association also called for a comprehensive security overhaul, including enhanced training for security personnel, implementation of the hospital's Code Violet, a 24x7 rapid-response team, and improved alarm and public-announcement systems in critical areas.