Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences : 40% surgeries postponed; doctors’ leaves cancelled

LUCKNOW: Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences had to postpone 15 operations scheduled for the day while 25 were conducted on Tuesday as around 350 resident doctors withdrew from all OPD and surgical duties on Tuesday. A candle march was also held on the premises to protest the brutal rape and murder of a resident doctor in Kolkata.
To address the situation, RMLIMS has cancelled the leaves of all doctors, and nursing staff has been directed to work alongside faculty members to attend patients. All emergency cases will be handled, and operations will continue, according to a press statement by RMLIMS.
On an average day, the Lohia Hospital OPD sees a minimum of 4,000 to 5,000 patients. However, on Tuesday, only 2,600 patients were seen, and around 60% of the scheduled surgeries were performed, while the remaining were postponed indefinitely, said RML spokesperson Dr. Bhuvan Tiwari. Of the 40 surgeries scheduled for the day, 25 were completed and 15 were postponed.
He added that a decision on when to resume duties would be made by UPRDA based on the high court’s verdict and the actions taken in Delhi regarding the investigation into the crime.
“Resident doctors are not attending to any elective surgeries, OPD patients, OT duties, or anything else—only emergency services and wards are running,” said Dr. Praveen, a resident doctor at Lohia Hospital. “We had requested our Director to officially stop OPD services and elective surgeries, which will be formally halted from Wednesday,” he informed.
Meanwhile, the UP resident doctors’ association, which includes a majority of the protesting doctors at Lohia, has written to UP health and family welfare minister Jai Pratap Singh, as well as union health minister J.P. Nadda, demanding safety measures for doctors at hospitals and medical institutions.
The association’s president at RML, Dr. Praveen, said that a joint event might be organised in the coming days by RMLIMS, King George Medical University, and Sanjay Gandhi Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences.