Now, PGI resident doctors say no to OPD on gazetted holidays

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><span style="" font-family:="" times="" new="" roman="" class="author">SOURAV SANYAL</span><br />CHANDIGARH: Having refused to join the Evening OPD, the association of resident doctors (ARD) is now seeking the intervention of Union health minister Shatrughan Sinha to scrap the present practice of running morning OPDs at PGI on gazetted holidays.<br />In a letter addressed to Sinha, which the ARD handed over to his OSD (officer on special duty) Rajiv Lakhara on Saturday, highlighting the problems being faced by them, it has proposed that running "OPDs on gazetted holidays should be stopped because it is an extra burden on the resident doctors of PGI."<br />"PGI is the only medical institution in the world where OPD services run even on gazetted holidays.We have appealed to the minister that this practice be discontinued as it adds to our existing work pressure.<br />"Instead of trying to increase the existing workload, the authorities should look into the fact that the resident doctors here are overworked, working for as long as 12 to 16 hours per day without any post duty which is practised in most parts of the world," remarked resident doctors.<br />Drawing Sinha’s attention to the state-of-affairs at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi visa-vis PGI, the resident doctors have brought to light the point that, unlike their counterparts at AIIMS, they are neither given academic nor patient care allowances.<br />Further, ARD has urged the health ministry to look into the fact that, as opposed to what happens in other parts of the country, there is no "subsidy on food" for the resident doctors within the PGI campus, as a result of which they have to shell out hefty sums. <br />"This is a genuine problem being faced by resident doctors. The health ministry should look into the matter at the earliest," commented an ARD member.<br />"The OSD wanted us to highlight all our problems along with the evening OPD issue so that the minister could have a first hand account of the scene here. Being the president of the institute, he should be apprised of the reality which would help him to take decisions in the near future," the ARD member added.<br />Other issues to which the ARD has drawn the minister’s attention include "insufficient hostel accommodation," especially for married resident doctors.<br />"The existing hostels have poor infrastructure and facilities. There is an urgent need to renovate and make proper accommodation for the resident doctors. Further, the residents have been provided with a small canteen in the hospital which is grossly insufficient for the existing strength of 700 residents. The food provided is of poor quality and unhygienic. We have suggested that proper infrastructure be provided for the canteen which should be manned by persons working under ARD," added another member.<br />The ARD has also demanded that PGI library should remain open 24 hours and the ministry make a provision for providing round-the-clock Internet services.<br />Only hospital in the world to run OPD on holidays PGI is the only hospital in the world which runs OPD services on gazetted holidays. <br />In an interview to Times News Network on November 14, PGI director Prof S K Sharma had brought out this point to highlight the efforts being made by the institute to provide quality health care to the patients. <br />This literally means that patients can avail OPD facilities even on those days when the entire country takes an off, be it on Independence Day, Diwali, Holi or Christmas. </div> </div>