Patients ‘in the lurch’ as PGI docs boycott elective services

Vinod Kumar and his wife Reena Devi travelled to the city from Farrukhabad so that she can undergo a gastrointestinal surgery at Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS). While there have been several delays already, the couple was told on Wednesday that the surgery would not be possible on the day on account of striking doctors.

This marks Vinod’s second unsuccessful attempt to secure the treatment for his wife. His last visit to the city was on October 1. Ultimately, he had to rent a room for ₹300 per day, adding strain to the couple’s already precarious finances.

Similarly, Sanjay Yadav from Varanasi faced a frustrating ordeal as his sister-in-law, Lalima, could not undergo a scheduled brain tumor operation at the hospital. Despite arriving on time for her admission on October 14, they were told to return the next day. When they arrived the following morning, they were again turned away, this time due to the strike, with no clarity on when services would resume.

The ongoing unrest is linked to demands for strict action in the Kolkata doctor’s rape and murder case. While the resident doctors’ association of SGPGI claims that essential medical services, including emergencies, will continue, several patients were subjected to problems on Wednesday.

Dr. Anshuman Singh, the in-charge of the association, said resident doctors at the facility had been boycotting elective services since Tuesday. Doctors at Kalyan Singh Cancer Superspecialty Institute and Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences also took part in the strike.