Forum deplores notice to resident doctors over protest, calls it unjust
The All India Joint Action Forum (AIJAF) has extended support to the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), PGIMER, Chandigarh. Following the recent issuance of a show-cause notice to the ARD over the strike on October 15 by PGI Director Vivek Lal, the AIJAF joint coordinators have called it ‘utterly undemocratic and unjust’. They said it was a shameful attempt to stifle the voices of healthcare professionals who were holding a protest over the heinous crime.
Following the call of resident doctors for a nationwide strike on October 15 in support of the rape and murder of a doctor in Kolkata, the ARD had observed a hunger strike and protest on the PGIMER campus.
Meanwhile, there has been series of accusations and counter-accusations between the ARD and an assistant professor. On October 15, the ARD had filed a complaint accusing an assistant professor of the Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care for passing inappropriate remarks in the OT coffee room and pressuring resident doctors to call off the strike.
In response to that, the assistant professor had also filed a formal complaint with the PGI Director on October 17. He alleged that president of the ARD Hariharan A had been taking undue advantage of his position. In his detailed letter, he accused him of blackmailing and denied allegations of unprofessional conduct. He also called the resignation of the ARD president from the post of DM, critical care, an act to create a wave of sympathy.
According to sources, Dr Hariharan had forwarded a letter to withdraw his resignation, citing ‘his commitment to continue work in the department’. He had submitted the resignation letter on October 14, but withdrew it a day after.
