PGI Chandigarh strike: OPD services, new patient registrations to be hit as resident doctors launch protest
Chandigarh, October 15: The Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh is facing significant service disruptions as resident doctors have joined the ongoing strike by outsourcing staff. The strike, which resumed on Tuesday, has led to a halt in new patient registrations, while existing patients will face limited access to services.
The hospital administration has announced that registration for existing patients will now be restricted to a two-hour window, from 8 am to 10 am. This means that Outpatient Department (OPD) services and other related non-emergency care will be available for only two hours daily until the strike is called off.
Emergency services, including the ICU and trauma centre, will continue to function without interruption to ensure critical care remains available. However, routine services are expected to be significantly affected, causing inconvenience to patients who rely on PGI for regular consultations and treatments.
In response to the strike, the PGI Chandigarh authorities have also requested affiliated hospitals across several states to avoid referring new patients to the institute during this period.
The strike comes in the wake of the sexual assault and murder of a trainee doctor in West Bengal, which has reignited the protests among the medical community.
- With inputs from our correspondent