Delhi HC bans strikes in government hospitals

New Delhi, Nov 14 (IANS) Terming strikes by doctors as illegal and against the public interest, the Delhi High Court Wednesday issued directives to both the central and Delhi governments to take action against medicos striking work.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice M.K. Sarma said that going by earlier orders, strikes by doctors in both the central and state government hospitals in the capital were illegal.

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday banned strikes in all government hospitals in the national capital, saying that they were against the interest of the public.

They felt that such an order would stop the health professionals from going on strike unmindful of the needs of poor patients using public hospitals.

Advocate Sugriv Dubey had filed a public interest litigation (PIL) asking authorities to ban strikes in hospitals.

Doctors of many government hospitals had resorted to strikes and inconvenienced patients in past few months, the petition said.

The junior doctors of the Safdarjung Hospital had struck work last month and also early this month to protest the "misbehaviour" of a patient's relatives with one of the physicians.

There had also been reports of emergency services being halted in a strike by doctors at the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) hospital after incensed relatives of a patient allegedly manhandled some doctors.

The resident doctors of the premier All India Institute of medical Science (AIIMS) had struck work over the delay in the signing of their degrees, which were distributed later.