Lucknow: KGMU doctors go on strike opposing long duty hours

Uttar Pradesh: Junior doctors at the prestigious KGMU in Lucknow reported off-duty, reportedly complaining on the fact that they are stressed over long working hours. They were on a strike for more than eight hours on July 2, unexpectedly boycotting working from 11 am. The patient care service was however left in a state of paralysis for around four days. 45 junior doctors are working at KGMU, however at present there are only 23 reporting for work. As a result of which, many junior doctors are overworked.

Chief medical officer Prof SC Tiwari said to TOI that "the crisis arose because third year post graduate students have graduated, while those admitted in the first year have not joined duty as yet. Further, many senior faculty members are on summer vacation.

Medicine department is attending more than 1,000 patients, including outdoor, indoor and emergency, in a day. A resident doctor implied that most of us are over worked and have not slept properly while working for almost 22 hrs a day sometimes.

The crisis was brought under administration control only after 20 MBBS interns and non PG residents were posted for providing assistance to the junior doctors.

Still, patient care services were hit as there was a noted absence of 1^st and 3^rd year students from duty. At the same time, senior doctors are apprehensive that junior doctors boycotting the work in the next few days will be a problem in other departments too. The situation needs to be addressed immediately to avoid any such miss-happening.

The main source of the current crisis at KGMU is the delay in PG academic session from May 1, deferred to July 1 through the UPPGMEE 2016. The date was deferred as admission counseling was done on a revised basis based on a fresh merit list. KGMU admits 100 PG seats through UPPGMEE. KGMU is reported to be short of almost 250 junior doctors. This is because of absence of first and third year PG students.