Strike by docs in SMHS Srinagar against assault, patients suffer

Irfan Tramboo
Srinagar, July 24: Remaining off duty throughout the day and affecting patient care in the emergency and OPD sections, the postgraduate doctors resumed duties late in the evening today at SMHS Hospital.

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During the day-especially in the morning hours and until noon-patients arriving at OPDs and the emergency department said there were no doctors available for consultations.
Post noon, and in some places earlier than that, senior doctors and heads of units were seen attending to patients to do damage control. However, their efforts did not appear sufficient given the huge patient rush.
Tariq Ahmad, whose son was in the surgical emergency, said that the authorities had acted and filed an FIR, and that the person who assaulted the doctor had even apologised. “I don’t think they should exaggerate because it is about people’s lives,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Administrator of GMC Srinagar, Muhammad Ashraf Hakak, while addressing a press conference, said that following the incident of assault on a doctor, the functioning of the hospital was not affected and that “doctors did not protest.”
“We did not let patient care get affected at all, and doctors worked throughout,” he said.
The press conference, however, was largely boycotted by the media in protest against the misconduct of postgraduate doctors with journalists.
In reality, the doctors had protested following the assault and were demanding action against the accused, along with stronger security measures to prevent such incidents. They had locked the doors of the emergency block.
The Resident Doctors of GMC Srinagar have formally submitted a set of demands to the administration, including immediate strengthening of hospital security through visible and functional deployment.
They have sought the installation of surveillance systems, regulation of hospital entry points, and urgent implementation of a structured and efficient three tier triage system across all emergency departments.
“A written assurance and actionable roadmap from the GMC administration addressing these critical safety concerns,” they demanded.
They termed the assault “not an attack on one individual-it is an attack on the entire medical fraternity.”
The doctors also lauded the J&K Police for their prompt and decisive action in arresting the perpetrator.
“The public apology issued by the assailant is noted, but the trauma inflicted and the message such incidents send cannot be ignored or brushed aside,” they said.
“We would also like to reassure the public that emergency services were restored immediately after the arrest, keeping in mind our commitment to patient care.”
“Our grievance is not with the people we serve, but with the administrative system that has failed to ensure the safety and dignity of doctors,” they said.
On the other hand, the misconduct of doctors with journalists was today condemned by M. Saleem Pandit, President of the Press Club of Kashmir.
He condemned the actions of the doctors, called for an inquiry into the incident, and emphasised the need for a safe environment for journalists in Kashmir when reporting such events.
“This was not just an attack on a few journalists but an assault on the entire Kashmir media,” he stated.
Furthermore, Pandit warned that if the Principal of the GMC Srinagar failed to address the situation and ease tensions between the postgraduate doctors and the media, the Press Club would escalate the matter to higher authorities to seek appropriate action against the junior doctors involved.

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