The resident doctors of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Rishikesh, who were protesting over the alleged molestation of a woman doctor, ended their strike late on Thursday evening after the AIIMS administration accepted their demands.
The doctors had been on strike demanding strict legal action against the accused and measures to prevent such incidents in the future.
The nursing officer, Satish Kumar, allegedly molested the junior resident doctor in an operation theatre of the trauma ward on May 19. Following a complaint on May 21, Kumar was taken into custody from the hospital’s psychiatric ward, where he had admitted himself.
The police drove an SUV into the hospital’s waiting area to arrest the accused, and the visuals were widely shared online. Police said they decided to take the vehicle inside the hospital to safely remove the accused.
The AIIMS administration has suspended the accused nursing officer. However, the doctors demanded his dismissal from the hospital. Medical Superintendent Sanjiv Kumar Mittal stated that mere suspension was not sufficient for the offence he had committed.
On Wednesday, the resident doctors gathered outside the office of the Dean (Academics), raised slogans, and announced a strike.
On Thursday evening, after long negotiations, their demands were accepted in writing by the AIIMS administration, and the doctors called off the protest. The Senior Superintendent of Police in Dehradun was also present at the discussions.
The Executive Director of the institute, Professor Meenu Singh, said that almost all the demands of the resident doctors had been accepted. He mentioned that the institute would bear the legal expenses for the case in court.
Additionally, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed by the police for an impartial investigation of the entire episode.
Officials also informed that special provisions would be made to ensure that such incidents do not recur with any employee of the institute in the future.
The AIIMS authorities also promised that no action would be taken by the hospital administration against the resident doctors who were not on duty during the strike.
Source Agencies
