Health minister urged to improve condition of hospitals

New Delhi, Feb 21 (IANS) The Federation Of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) in the national capital has urged health minister J.P. Nadda to immediately address the issues related to security, availability of life saving drugs and surgical equipment in the city's government hospitals.

Asking the health minister to take cognisance of the issues and improve the condition of the hospitals before Feb 28, the doctors' body said if the situation is allowed to continue the resident doctors in all government hospitals in the city will go on an indefinite strike March 2 onwards.

Balvinder Singh, a senior resident doctor at Safdarjang Hospital and president of FORDA said: "This is the last and final time we have written to the ministry. We have done this several times but hardly anything happened."

"If the situation remains the same and no heed is paid by the minister, we are going to sit on an indefinite strike March 2 onwards," Singh told IANS.

In the letter to the minister the association also stated that the lack of security in the hospitals has left the doctors open to assaults from patients' attendants.

"The situation in the government hospitals has turned so bad that even pickpockets and thieves are roaming in the hospitals stealing patients' belongings and cash," said the letter.

The other demands made by the association include making life saving drugs and surgical consumables available in all the hospitals.

"Operation theatres need to be doubled in all the hospitals as the resident strength of doctors was doubled five years back and the patient load is excessive in all hospitals and patients have to wait for a long time to undergo surgical procedures," the letter said.