Patients face trouble after doctor’s strike at SKIMS

Srinagar—The Resident Doctors Association (RDA) of SKIMS have called for an indefinite strike creat­ing problems for a large number of patients, reports said on Saturday.

The doctors have gone on strike to protest against non-fulfillment of their demands regarding re­moval of pay anomaly.

Reports said that today a large number of patients visited the SKIMS Soura, but found both outpatient and casualty departments closed.

The strike has affected all hospi­tal facilities, including emergency, resulting in inconvenience to pa­tients, many of whom had come from far off places to seek treatment.

Many patients admitted at SKIMS for surgeries were dis­charged due to shortage of doc­tors, a source at the hospital said.

Medical superintendent SKIMS Soura, Dr Farooq Jan said that a roaster of faculty members had been put in place to cater to criti­cal areas of the hospital but con­firmed that many surgeries had been cancelled. “It is a difficult time,” he said.

A senior doctor at SKIMS said that it was for the first time that emergency block of SKIMS had been closed. “Emergencies were always kept functional in the past irrespective of the strikes and other issues. People here de­pend on SKIMS emergency ser­vices,” he said.

A memorandum by RDA SKIMS addressed to government has insisted that the strike would continue till a written commit­ment in addressing their demands was not issued.

The demands include bringing the pay band of SKIMS resident doctors at par with that of resident doctors of PGI and AIIMS, imple­mentation of 7th pay commission recommendation and timely release of 7th pay commission arrears.

Director SKIMS, Dr Omar Javed Shah said that the demands had al­ready been taken up with the gov­ernment and it was decided that a special allowance would be paid to residents of SKIMS. “There is no justification for the strike,” he said

Sources said that it was for the first time that emergency block of SKIMS has been closed due to strike

Demands genuine: DAK

Doctors Association Kashmir(DAK) in a communiqué on Saturday said that the demands of Resident Doctors Association (RDA) of Sher I Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) are genuine for which they have time and again informed the authorities but it seems the government is least concerned about the health depart­ment and has kept it in the backburner.

Dr Suhail Naik, President DAK said that they have also submitted the demands of all doctors working in the peripheral hospital of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh which are genuine and must be fulfilled before Eid. He said DAK through the medium of this communiqué warn the authorities that if our demands are not before the stipulated time, we will be having no option but to proceed on indefinite strike and will shut all hospitals across Jammu and Kashmir and the consequences thereof will be wholly on Government of the day.

General Secretary DAK, Dr Owais H Dar said “strike always re­mains the last option in the democratic setup but Govt. forces us to opt for it as we are pushed to the wall. Patients who are suffering are our own and it causes us utmost distress when we see them in agony but when we ourselves are not comfortable how can we treat them and give them comfort.”

DAK fully supports the strike call given by RDA SKIMS and is with them shoulder to shoulder.

DAK appeals the Hon’ble Chief Minister, Hon’ble Health Minister and Hon’ble Finance Minister to take a serious look into the genuine demands of all doctors of J&K and frame high empowered committee to solve the genuine demands of Doctors once for all including those of SKIMS doctors at the earliest.

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