AIIMS Jodhpur doctors strike over resident's death; only emergency care continue
Resident doctors at AIIMS Jodhpur began an indefinite strike on Wednesday, demanding Rs 5 crore compensation for the family of a colleague who died by suspected suicide, along with accountability from the institute administration and steps to address concerns over working conditions.
The strike has brought regular OPD services to a halt, while emergency OPD care and emergency surgeries will continue.
The protest came a day after Dr Raj Nilesh Yadav, 31, a first-year postgraduate resident doctor in the Department of Anaesthesia, was found unconscious inside a hospital washroom while on duty.
Yadav’s death has triggered anger and concern among resident doctors and students at the institute.
The situation turned tense on Wednesday when Yadav’s family arrived at AIIMS and confronted Director Dr Govardhan Datt Puri. A standoff between the family and the administration continued for several hours, delaying the post-mortem of the deceased doctor.
After the body was taken away, resident doctors gathered in the AIIMS porch and submitted a memorandum to the director, laying out their demands and saying the strike would continue until they were addressed.
Doctors and students also covered their mouths with tape and staged a silent protest, saying the death had left the institute community deeply shaken.
The protesters raised concerns over the working conditions, long duty hours and workload faced by resident doctors and students. The AIIMS president also observed a two-hour work boycott on Wednesday, while doctors and staff at the institute earlier paid tribute to Yadav.
Under the strike, regular OPD services will remain closed, while emergency OPD services will continue. Only emergency surgeries will be conducted and emergency patients will be attended to, ensuring that critical care is not disrupted.
AIIMS has not issued an official response to the resident doctors’ demands so far.
Apart from the Rs 5 crore compensation, the resident doctors have sought all applicable benefits, pending dues, insurance and other institutional support for Yadav’s family.
They have also demanded a public apology from the administration, an acknowledgement of what they described as institutional failures and transparency on steps being taken to prevent such an incident from recurring.
The protesters have further demanded that the executive director be held accountable and asked to resign. They have also called for formal recognition of the Residents Doctors’ Association and student union as representative bodies, with regular communication between these groups and the institute administration.
According to police, Yadav was on duty in the operation theatre on Tuesday and went to the washroom during a break at around 1 pm. When he did not return, his colleagues began looking for him and called his phone.
The colleagues heard it ringing inside the washroom and, after receiving no response, broke open the door and found him unconscious.
Basni Station House Officer Nitin Dave said some syringes were found beside Yadav and police suspect he may have injected himself with a lethal drug. He was taken to the emergency department, where he was declared dead.
No suicide note has been recovered so far, police said. Yadav’s mobile phone has been seized and is being examined along with other evidence by a forensic team. Police are awaiting the post-mortem report and examining the circumstances surrounding his death.- EndsPublished By: Shipra ParasharPublished On: Sep 23, 2026 22:16 IST
