PGI Chandigarh issues show cause notice to Doctors' Association over hunger strike

Chandigarh: After doctors at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGI) Chandigarh held a 12-hour hunger strike on October 15 in solidarity with protesting doctors in Bengal, the administration issued a show-cause notice to the president of the Association of Resident Doctors in connection.

In the notice issued on Friday, the administration asked for an explanation as to why the association encouraged fellow doctors to go on strike in violation of the orders of the Supreme Court. Demanding a reply in two days, the authorities said that strict legal action would be taken against the office-bearers of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) if failed to provide a satisfactory response.

"Representatives of ARD were called in the office of the director a day before their call for strike and persuaded in the presence of deans and medical superintendent not to proceed on strike, given the prevailing situation in the interest of patient care services. However, despite persuasion by the director along with his team, the ARD proceeded on strike on October 15. Also, it incited the resident doctors of PGI to go on strike, which has added to the gross harassment of patients as sanitation and hospital’s outsourced workers were already on strike," reads the notice.

Also read- PGI resident doctors hold 12-hour hunger strike in support of West Bengal doctors

Further, PGI director Prof Vivek Lal encouraged the resident doctors who came back to work after the strike to separate themselves from certain ARD members who were involved in vandalizing campus places of worship, TOI reports.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that Doctors at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education Research (PGI) Chandigarh, began a 12-hour hunger strike at 9 AM on Tuesday, demanding justice for a fellow resident doctor who was raped and murdered at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9.

Pradeep Reddy, a doctor said that it had been 200 hours of hunger strike by the doctors in state and yet justice was being denied. Another doctor said that the strike was to show solidarity with the protesting doctors around the country.

Earlier, the Resident Doctors' Association (RDA) of AIIMS, New Delhi, on Monday wrote an 'urgent' letter to the President of India, requesting immediate intervention in the ongoing hunger strike by doctors in West Bengal.

The junior doctors went on a cease work following the rape-murder of their fellow medic at R G Kar hospital on August 9. They ended their stir after 42 days on September 21, following assurances from the Bengal government to look into their demands.

After the government failed to address their demands, around seven doctors of the West Bengal Junior Doctors Front from different medical colleges and hospitals staged an indefinite hunger strike on October 5.