Barring emergency cases, the Resident Doctors Association (RDA) of Delhi government's Maharishi Valmiki Hospital on September 29 announced all essential and non-essential services provided by its members had been withdrawn to protest against an assault on a doctor.

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The RDA said it protested the hospital administration's action not to lodge an institutional FIR against a patient and her attendant for assaulting an on-duty doctor on September 26. The RDA formally informed the hospital Medical Superintendent about the protest through a notice.

The notice read: "Since no confirmation has been made till date, we are left with no alternative but to withdraw resident doctors from essential services from 10 a.m. today, for which intimation was given to you on September 26 and again on September 28. We are disheartened by the way this issue is being handled. The doctor concerned is under severe mental stress, and things may worsen for him if he doesn't get institutional support on priority," it said. "Who will be responsible if something goes wrong with the resident doctor? We don't want the patients to suffer and want to resume duties at the earliest, but not at the cost of threat to our lives, integrity, and respect towards the profession," the RDA warned.

Meanwhile, RDAs of various government hospitals also expressed their solidarity with the victim doctor. The RDAs of Safdarjung Hospital, Lady Hardinge Medical College, Baba Sahib Ambedkar Medical College and Hospital, and Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital extended support to the protest by the doctors and also the demand to lodge an institutional FIR in the case of assault. "We condemn the assault, extend our deepest support and stand unanimously and in solidarity with the protesting Resident Doctors Association of Maharishi Valmiki Hospital and demand immediate appropriate action by the authorities against the accused," the RDAs said.

The doctors' associations are furious that the FIR in the case was lodged in the name of an individual rather than the institution, which allegedly goes against the directions of the Delhi and central governments. On September 26, Dr Rahul Jain was allegedly assaulted by a patient and her attendant when the doctor asked them to come by turn in the operation theatre. He had also asked them to wear masks. Later, Dr Jain lodged an FIR against both at the Bawana police station under Sections 186, 188, 353, 332, 506 and 34 of the IPC and other relevant laws.