Friday, July 7 2006 11:41 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: As doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) continued their strike protesting the sacking of director P. Venugopal, parallel Out Patient Departments (OPDs) have been set up to treat patients.

"Looking at the betterment of the patients, we have started parallel OPDs and will continue the service so long as the ongoing protest lasts," said Binod Patra, president, AIIMS resident doctors association.

In the wee hours of Friday, police destroyed tents erected in the central lawns for the doctors on hunger strike after a one-and-a-half-hour clash with striking doctors.

Though parallel OPDs have been set up, emergency services at AIIMS still stand suspended.

Said Patra, "Though we know that it is creating a lot of problems for patients, there is no other way to express our grievance. The strike has entered the third day but no government authorities are interested in solving the problem. We hold the government responsible for any inconvenience caused to the patients."

The OPD services at the Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC) also started functioning at 9.00 a.m. Friday and there were hundreds of patients standing in front of the Casualty and Out-Patient Departments.

All doctors in MAMC will continue to work while wearing black badges. "The resident doctors will burn the effigy of Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss in the evening," said Shashank, a member of the MAMC resident doctors association.

"The future course of action will be decided in a general body meeting to be held later in the day," he said.

Senior faculty of AIIMS are also to take stock of the situation in the evening.