The Resident Doctors Association (RDA) of Delhi government's Maharishi Valmiki Hospital have threatened to withdraw all essential and non-essential services of the hospital from September 28 onwards in view of delay to initiate action against a patient and her attendant after they allegedly assaulted a doctor on September 26, as per a letter the doctors' association has written to the hospital's medical superintendent (MS).

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The notice to withdraw the services has followed after an incident where a patient and her attendant allegedly beat an on-duty doctor after being asked to wear masks. The RDA has demanded to book the assailants without delay under various sections of IPC and Epidemic Disease Act. "As assaulter has already threatened to murder the doctor, we demand the arrest of culprit at earliest. We will be forced to withdraw our residents (doctors) from essential and non-essential services, if arrest under appropriate sections not made," the letter read.

On September 26, the RDA had complained that Dr Rahul Jain was physically assaulted by a patient named Priyanka and her attendant Naresh while performing minor OT procedures. "They wanted their procedure to be performed on a priority basis. They were requested by Jain to come by turn, and as they did not wear masks, they were requested to wear the same. After that, both of them started beating up Jain and even hurled a stool aimed at his head, which he luckily escaped," the complaint made by the association claimed.

Meanwhile, various doctors' associations have condemned the alleged assault on Valmiki's doctor and demanded immediate arrest of the accused. "We strongly condemn the incident of Assault on On-duty Doctor of Maharshi Valmiki Hospital, Delhi by patient's attendants & demand strict action against the culprits under the Epidemic Disease Act," stated Dr Sunil Arora, general-secretary, Federation of Resident Doctors' Association (FORDA).

Another association has threatened for a strike if FIR is not registered against the accused. "Delhi Police will be responsible for the strike as no FIR is registered against the culprit," stated United Residents Doctors Association (URDA).