Chandigarh: PGIMER director slams ARD leaders for misusing strikes

Penning a letter to resident doctors of the institute, PGIMER director Dr Vivek Lal on Saturday criticised leaders of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) for misusing strikes.
The ARD at PGIMER had announced a relay hunger strike and suspension of elective OPDs on October 15 in support of resident doctors protesting and demanding justice for the Kolkata rape-murder victim.
In the letter, Dr Lal said, “At the outset, I thank you for your exemplary devotion and commitment towards patient care and refusal to join the illegitimate strike call given by the office-bearers of ARD when the case was being heard in the Supreme Court.”
Stressing that the actions of a few ARD leaders had crossed the line, he accused them of spreading hatred and acting against the values of PGIMER, where “the only religion is patient care”.
“Our patients are our Gods and we have no right to indulge in acts that harm the welfare of patients and bring a bad name to our institute,” added Dr Lal.
He urged the residents to distance themselves from these leaders, who he accused of using strikes for personal agendas. Dr Lal said, “Some office-bearers of ARD have been indulging in acts of religious arson and vandalising places of worship. This is absolutely against the very ethos of PGIMER, where our only religion is mitigation of the sufferings of the patients. Such diabolical distortion of human psyche needs to be stringently dealt with without mercy.”
Dr Lal further added, “I would request you to marginalise such office-bearers of ARD who are firing from your shoulders and have ulterior motives. Such office-bearers of ARD shall be dealt with mercilessly as they are indulging in acts of medical vandalism against the Hippocratic Oath. They have crossed the red line by spreading hatred and venom against the PGIMER administration and fellow faculty members.”