Srinagar, May 25 (KNO): Doctors at Government Medical College (GMC) Rajouri threatened to continue an indefinite strike that started on Monday over an alleged incident of harassment, unauthorised entry, and videography inside the hospital's labour room and gynaecology section, with the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) extending strong support to the protesting doctors.
The Resident Doctors Association (RDA) accused the hospital administration of failing to take timely action despite repeated complaints regarding the incident, which allegedly took place during the night of May 17 inside one of the hospital's most sensitive patient-care areas.
The doctors told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that a group of unauthorised persons entered the labour room without permission, allegedly threatened healthcare workers, created chaos inside the ward, and compromised the privacy and dignity of female patients by recording videos within the restricted area. Doctors said the incident has exposed serious gaps in hospital security and raised alarming concerns regarding patient confidentiality and the safety of healthcare workers.
RDA members said they submitted a written complaint on the very day of the incident and later followed it up after 48 hours when nothing happened. "Doctors are feeling unsafe, especially in critical and sensitive departments where female staff remain on duty during night hours," they said.
The association had warned that if concrete action was not initiated by the administration by 10 AM on Monday, all Junior Residents (JRs), Senior Residents (SRs), and Postgraduate (PG) doctors across departments would proceed on an indefinite strike, and accordingly, the strike started on Monday.
An official factual report prepared by the office of the Medical Superintendent, Associated Hospital GMC Rajouri, confirmed major aspects of the incident. According to the report, some outsiders allegedly entered the labour room unauthorizedly during the night of May 17, claimed to be attendants of a patient admitted in the gynaecology ward, and repeatedly insisted that doctors immediately perform an operation despite the patient being stable and not requiring immediate operative intervention.
The report further states that the outsiders allegedly began threatening the doctor on duty, indulged in arguments with senior doctors, and unauthorizedly videographed the labour room despite the area being strictly prohibited for photography and videography. Security personnel and police officials later intervened, but the outsiders argued with them before eventually being escorted out, while allegedly threatening doctors and staff with serious consequences.
The Medical Superintendent's report noted that available CCTV footage supports the claims made by doctors and staff. It called for strengthening security arrangements in labour rooms and other sensitive hospital areas, and acknowledged lapses in the existing security mechanism. An explanation has been sought from the Security Incharge regarding inadequate deployment and failure to prevent unauthorised male persons from entering the labour room during odd hours.
The report also mentioned that similar incidents had reportedly occurred earlier as well and described the accused individuals as "habitual offenders" allegedly involved in previous incidents of misbehaviour and unauthorised videography inside hospital premises.
The RDA has raised several demands, including immediate registration of an FIR against the accused persons, deployment of trained security personnel in labour rooms, emergency wards, operation theatres, and ICUs, strict restrictions on unauthorised attendants, installation of stronger CCTV surveillance systems, implementation of a rapid-response protocol to deal with violence against healthcare workers, and a complete ban on videography, photography, and mobile phone recordings inside restricted hospital areas.
FAIMA leaders strongly condemned the incident, with Dr Mohammad Momin Khan stating that violence, intimidation, and unauthorised intrusion into sensitive patient-care areas cannot be tolerated. "Such incidents not only demoralise doctors but also adversely affect the healthcare environment and patient care," he said, questioning why an institutional FIR had not been lodged despite the seriousness of the allegations.
Protesting doctors cited a 2024 Office Memorandum issued by the DGHS under the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, which mandates that in cases involving violence against healthcare workers while on duty, the Head of Institution must ensure registration of an institutional FIR within a maximum period of six hours.
The protesting doctors reiterated that their agitation is not merely about the protection of medical staff but also about safeguarding patient dignity, ensuring secure working conditions, and maintaining a safe and ethical healthcare environment within the hospital. RDA leadership, including Dr Ifzal Khan, Dr Suhail Khan, and Dr Anwar, has been coordinating with national medical bodies over the issue—(KNO)