NAGPUR: Resident doctors at AIIMS Nagpur on Thursday withdrew non-emergency OPD and routine IPD services, escalating their protest over the alleged assault on and death threats issued to a resident doctor on duty in the MICU on September 22.The Resident Doctors’ Association (RDA) said emergency and critical-care services, including ICUs, would continue to function. The withdrawal will remain in force until the administration provides a satisfactory, written and time-bound response to all its demands.At the centre of the protest is the RDA’s demand for an institutional FIR instead of the individual FIR registered in the name of the resident doctor who was allegedly assaulted. The association has also demanded the identification and arrest of all those involved in the assault within 24 hours.The RDA has raised concerns over alleged external and political influence in clinical functioning. It has demanded a formal “No Special Treatment” policy, alleging that patients referred by politically influential persons are sometimes given priority for ward or ICU beds by bypassing the waiting list. It wants all patients, except those covered under existing institutional SOPs, to be assessed through a common waiting system based on disease severity and prognosis.The association has also demanded a separate SOP for genuine VIP patients, saying such protocols should not disrupt clinical decisions or the working environment of resident doctors.Other demands include strengthening security, mandatory training for security personnel in handling violence against healthcare workers, a 24×7 rapid-response team, and alarm and public-address systems in sensitive areas such as ICUs, the emergency department and operation theatres.The RDA has sought an institutional committee with resident-doctor representation to review the September 22 incident and security protocols, along with a written action plan within 24 hours. It has also demanded a formal referral policy to reduce overcrowding at the tertiary-care institute.The association said its demands, submitted to the Medical Superintendent on September 23, had not been fully met.
