NEW DELHI: Day after All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Resident Doctors Association (RDA) removed its general secretary Dr Srinivas Rajkumar T, from its post, the latter has called the decision "illegitimate" and "unconstitutional" adding that he is working for the benefit of resident doctors.
Speaking to the Millennium Post, Dr. Srinavas said legally he is still the general secretary. "This is an illegal step and to take such a step there needs to be a GBM, which includes all or 2/3rd of the resident doctors," he said.
In an internal war between the doctors, the issue started when Dr. Srinavas called out the administration and the government on the quality of N95 masks.
"It's not the virus that we are worried about. It's the apathy of the government and the AIIMS administration that worries us. If this continues, we will be short of HCWs to treat patients. Since March we have been writing and fighting for the safety of hostel premises, poor sanitation, lack of proper quarantine protocol and need for adequate testing," Dr Srinivas had said in a statement.
Giving a clarification AIIMS administration said all healthcare workers have been receiving appropriate safety equipments, including N95 masks.
"Sufficient stock of PPE is being maintained to ensure they are made available at all times as required. AIIMS states that specifications for the N95 masks are equivalent to that of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). The N95 masks supplied to AIIMS meet specified standards. The same were evaluated and certifications verified by a committee at AIIMS," said the AIIMS admin.
Dr. Srinivas meanwhile said that he stands by his statement and that there is evidence proving his claim. "It is testing times for everybody and I stand by my statement. People who have sent this letter should resign and are working against the benefit of the resident doctors. I have not been contacted by the administration in this regard, but the president went ahead and took this decision," he added.
However, RDA President Dr. Adarsh pratap Singh has called the claims by Dr. Srinavas "false" saying the latter is using media to demean the AIIMS administration. Meanwhile, more than 200 healthcare workers at AIIMS, Delhi have tested positive of Coronavirus till date.