GTB Hospital docs kick off indefinite strike after patient killed inside ward

New Delhi, July 15 (PTI) Resident doctors at Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital here began an indefinite strike on Monday citing safety concerns following the brazen killing of a patient inside a ward of the hospital.

The strike was announced after a 32-year-old man was shot dead by an unidentified person inside ward number 24 of the Delhi government-run hospital on Sunday.

According to police, the victim, Riyazuddin, was admitted to the hospital on June 23 for treatment of an abdominal infection.

Members of the Resident Doctors' Association (RDA) began the strike at 9 am on Monday but emergency services are operational, RDA president Nitesh Kumar told PTI.

The indefinite strike by the hospital's RDA was announced on Sunday after their long-pending demand of giving doctors ample security allegedly went unheeded by the Delhi government.

"Our repeated appeals for enhanced security have been ignored, culminating in this tragic event (patient's killing). Until the Delhi government ensures a secure environment for everyone within the hospital, we cannot continue our duties," an RDA spokesperson had said earlier.

"The strike will continue until fundamental improvements in security are effectively implemented and communicated," the statement said.

The killing of the patient in the hospital's ward has been condemned by other doctors' bodies as well.

Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj had said, "A security review of all hospitals will be carried out and no negligence will be tolerated." The Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) has described the incident as a "mafia-like killing."

"The recent incident of violence at GTB Hospital underscores the urgent need for enhanced security measures for our doctors," FORDA president Aviral Mathur had said.