AIIMS Jodhpur resident doctors hold candle march, seek reforms after doctor’s alleged suicide

Resident doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Jodhpur launched an indefinite strike on September 23, demanding resignation of the institute’s executive director. They are seeking accountability following the alleged suicide of a resident doctor on campus a day earlier.

The protesting doctors also organised a candle march on Wednesday evening to pay tribute to Dr Raj Naresh Yadav, a first-year resident in the anaesthesia department. Yadav was found unconscious in the bathroom of a doctors’ resting area while on a break from his duty at the operation theatre (OT) on the afternoon of September 22. He was later declared dead.

OPD suspended

Following a meeting with students and colleagues, the resident doctors decided to suspend elective OT procedures and routine outpatient department (OPD) services from today, September 24, and said the strike would continue until administration takes satisfactory and time-bound action on their demands.

"Emergency OPD and emergency OT services, however, will continue to operate as essential services and will remain unaffected by the strike," the doctors told PTI.

The Resident Doctors’ Association has called for immediate measures to address concerns related to working conditions, duty hours, workload, resident welfare mechanisms, and institutional safeguards for residents and students.

Among their key demands, the doctors have sought a public apology and acknowledgement from the AIIMS administration and Rs 5 crore in financial compensation for the deceased doctor’s family. They have also demanded that all pending dues, benefits, insurance claims, and other legitimate entitlements of the deceased be extended to the family, along with all possible institutional support.

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Residents demand communication channel

The protesting residents have further sought official recognition of the Resident Doctors’ Association and the associated students’ union to create a regular and formal channel of communication between students, residents, and the administration.

The doctors said their demands go beyond the circumstances surrounding the death of the resident doctor and are aimed at institutional reforms to ensure the safety, dignity, health, and welfare of residents and students.

The indefinite strike comes amid concerns among resident doctors at AIIMS Jodhpur over the circumstances surrounding Yadav’s death and the working environment faced by residents.

(With PTI inputs)

If you know someone—friend or family member—at risk of suicide, please reach out to them. Those in distress or having suicidal thoughts or tendencies could seek help and counselling by calling 9820466726 or visiting AASRA’s official website or can call iCALL on 9152987821. Here are some more helpline numbers of suicide prevention organisations that can offer emotional support to individuals and families.