AIIMS Jodhpur protest ends; Centre transfers Executive Director, gives additional charge to AIIMS Jammu chief

Resident doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, called off their five-day strike on September 27 after the Union Health Ministry ordered an immediate change in the institute's administrative arrangement and shifted Executive Director Dr. Govardhan Puri to Delhi.

The doctors were protesting since September 24 following the death of Dr. Raj Naresh Yadav, a 29-year-old first-year resident doctor in the Department of Anesthesia. The doctor was found dead on September 22 in the washroom of the doctors' restroom. It was suspected that he died by suicide by injecting a lethal substance while on duty.

The protest involved around 450 resident doctors, who had raised demands concerning institutional accountability, resident welfare, and working conditions.

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Executive Director to report to Health Ministry

Under the new arrangement, Dr. Puri will report to the Union Health Ministry in Delhi with immediate effect and remain available for duties assigned by the ministry. Dr. Sanjeev Sinha, Executive Director of AIIMS Jammu, has been given additional charge of AIIMS Jodhpur until further orders.

The ministry has also directed that a faculty committee be constituted within five days to assist Dr. Sinha and facilitate coordinated action on patient care, student and resident welfare, academic matters, and other institutional issues. PTI reports that the government accepted the resident doctors' demands following discussions with their representatives and Union Health Minister J P Nadda.

Shekhawat had visited AIIMS Jodhpur on September 26 for discussions with the protesting doctors. He subsequently took up their charter of demands with Nadda and held several rounds of talks with representatives of the resident doctors.

On Sunday afternoon, the minister personally informed the protesters about the decisions taken by the government, following which the doctors called off their strike.

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Cap on continuous duty hours

Among the key decisions is a cap on continuous duty hours for resident doctors at a maximum of 12 hours. It comes amid concerns raised by doctors regarding excessive workload and work-related stress. The AIIMS Jodhpur library will remain open round the clock to support students' academic requirements.

The Resident Doctors' Association and the student body at AIIMS Jodhpur will also receive formal recognition at the administrative level, on the lines of AIIMS Delhi. According to Shekhawat, the move will allow students and resident doctors to raise their concerns with the administration through a recognised mechanism.

The government has also initiated the process of providing ex gratia assistance to the family of Dr. Yadav. The formalities for releasing the compensation will be completed after the post-mortem report is received.

The administrative transition is being supported through a stop-gap arrangement to ensure that routine functioning at AIIMS Jodhpur is not disrupted. After taking charge, Dr. Sinha will constitute a committee of senior professors within five days, which will take daily decisions concerning patient care, students' academic activities, resident doctors' welfare, and measures aimed at improving the overall campus environment.

(With PTI inputs)