AIIMS Delhi Paramedical students call off strike after Hospital's assurance for hostel facility

New Delhi: AIIMS paramedical students have ended their indefinite hunger strike and resumed normal work with immediate effect after the hospital administration agreed to their demand for hostel accommodation.

A meeting was held on August 22 at 5:30 pm between students and office bearers of the Optometry Student Association under the Chairmanship of the Dean (Academics).

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Medical Dialogues team had earlier reported that the agitating paramedical students of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) had staged a protest against the hospital administration following the death of one Optometry student.

The agitating students claimed that the death was caused due to the negligence of the hospital administration. The students said that had the authorities provided them hostel within the hospital premises, the student's life could have been saved.

The Optometry students of AIIMS were on strike over several demands that have been approved like Hostel Accommodation, monetary compensation to the family of Abhishek, who had lost his life, and that show causes notice issued to the students to be withdrawn. Attendance for the period of absence shall be compensated with extra working hours was another demand of the students.

The Optometry students Association initiated a relay hunger strike on August 13 after a student, Abhishek Malviya passed away due to COVID and Swine flu. The student's allegation was that an ambulance was denied to the student, which led to his death. There were allegations that the student wasn't provided with an ambulance because he wasn't a hostel resident.

Earlier, AIIMS Delhi also gave a statement saying," There has been a progressive increase in the number of students at AIIMS New Delhi and there is a severe shortage of hostels for all students. Students of BSc paramedical courses are not provided hostels at AIIMS since 2020. This is written in the prospectus for these courses and all students are fully aware of this provision at the time of applying for admission. This is also the case for many other institutions and other AIIMS.

This has been communicated to the students on many occasions through past meetings and their representations have also been forwarded to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. There is provision for expansion of hostels for all students in the AIIMS master plan."

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