💥💥BREAKING NEWS‼️
To Whom It May Concern,
Declaration of professional limitations in patient care and non-acceptance of the Senate decision due to the ongoing crisis:
We, the senior physicians of the Internal Medicine Department at SPHMMC, feel compelled to formally voice our grave concerns regarding the current crisis, which has severely compromised our ability to deliver safe, ethical, and effective medical care, as well as the Senate decision that does not encourage the return of striking staff.
The nationwide strike involving interns, general practitioners, residents, and trained nurses has critically disrupted hospital operations, creating an unsustainable environment in which basic standards of patient care and safety can no longer be upheld.
Current Unacceptable Conditions:
1. Lack of Interns and Residents: The absence of these frontline providers has left a dangerous gap in patient monitoring, reporting, and primary management.
2. Critical Nurse Shortages: The severe shortage of experienced nurses has led to delays and deficiencies in essential procedures, including IV placements, wound care, vital sign monitoring, and medication administration.
3. Unmanageable Patient Load: The current patient volume exceeds 2–3 times the safe capacity for senior physicians working without adequate support.
4. Disorganized Ward Conditions: Continuity of care, proper documentation, and follow-up processes have deteriorated significantly.
5. Staff Exhaustion: The remaining personnel are experiencing extreme fatigue and burnout, heightening the risk of medical errors.
6. Limited Multidisciplinary Support: Access to vital services—such as radiology, laboratory follow-ups, physiotherapy, and interdepartmental consultations—has been severely restricted.
7. Senate Decision: The Senate decision dated 15/2017 EC does not encourage the striking team to return to their placements.
Our Position:
Given these dire circumstances, we hereby declare the following:
- While it is legally permissible for professionals to strike in defense of their rights, the dismissal of interns, general practitioners, residents, and trained nurses by SPHMMC is both unjust and unacceptable by any standard.
- As we acknowledge the grievances driving the strike, we cannot ethically accept new admissions under the present conditions, as doing so would violate our professional obligations and endanger patient safety.
- We cannot assume responsibility for patient outcomes under these circumstances, as adequate monitoring and timely interventions are impossible.
- Our services will be restricted to life-threatening emergencies only, where any delay would pose an immediate risk to survival.
- We will not perform non-emergency procedures or elective consultations until safe staffing levels and clinical conditions are restored.
- We demand full legal protection from administrative, legal, or criminal liability for adverse outcomes occurring during this crisis.
- Unless immediate negotiations resume, we may be forced to withdraw and stop from our duties entirely.
Our Final Stand:
As senior physicians, our primary duty is to First, do no harm. Continuing routine care under these conditions would breach this fundamental principle. This declaration is not a refusal to serve but a necessary measure to prevent further harm to patients and protect ourselves from unjust legal consequences.
Our Demands:
We urgently call upon the Ministry of Health and all relevant authorities to:
1. Immediately initiate negotiations and encouragement with striking staff to restore normal hospital operations with out prerequisite.
2. Provide clear guidance and legal assurances to remaining senior staff acting in good faith under these unsafe conditions.
3. Ensure no disciplinary actions are taken against healthcare professionals prioritizing patient safety.
Sincerely,
SPHMMC IM Senior Consultants
Declaration of professional limitations in patient care and non-acceptance of the Senate decision due to the ongoing crisis:
We, the senior physicians of the Internal Medicine Department at SPHMMC, feel compelled to formally voice our grave concerns regarding the current crisis, which has severely compromised our ability to deliver safe, ethical, and effective medical care, as well as the Senate decision that does not encourage the return of striking staff.
The nationwide strike involving interns, general practitioners, residents, and trained nurses has critically disrupted hospital operations, creating an unsustainable environment in which basic standards of patient care and safety can no longer be upheld.
Current Unacceptable Conditions:
1. Lack of Interns and Residents: The absence of these frontline providers has left a dangerous gap in patient monitoring, reporting, and primary management.
2. Critical Nurse Shortages: The severe shortage of experienced nurses has led to delays and deficiencies in essential procedures, including IV placements, wound care, vital sign monitoring, and medication administration.
3. Unmanageable Patient Load: The current patient volume exceeds 2–3 times the safe capacity for senior physicians working without adequate support.
4. Disorganized Ward Conditions: Continuity of care, proper documentation, and follow-up processes have deteriorated significantly.
5. Staff Exhaustion: The remaining personnel are experiencing extreme fatigue and burnout, heightening the risk of medical errors.
6. Limited Multidisciplinary Support: Access to vital services—such as radiology, laboratory follow-ups, physiotherapy, and interdepartmental consultations—has been severely restricted.
7. Senate Decision: The Senate decision dated 15/2017 EC does not encourage the striking team to return to their placements.
Our Position:
Given these dire circumstances, we hereby declare the following:
- While it is legally permissible for professionals to strike in defense of their rights, the dismissal of interns, general practitioners, residents, and trained nurses by SPHMMC is both unjust and unacceptable by any standard.
- As we acknowledge the grievances driving the strike, we cannot ethically accept new admissions under the present conditions, as doing so would violate our professional obligations and endanger patient safety.
- We cannot assume responsibility for patient outcomes under these circumstances, as adequate monitoring and timely interventions are impossible.
- Our services will be restricted to life-threatening emergencies only, where any delay would pose an immediate risk to survival.
- We will not perform non-emergency procedures or elective consultations until safe staffing levels and clinical conditions are restored.
- We demand full legal protection from administrative, legal, or criminal liability for adverse outcomes occurring during this crisis.
- Unless immediate negotiations resume, we may be forced to withdraw and stop from our duties entirely.
Our Final Stand:
As senior physicians, our primary duty is to First, do no harm. Continuing routine care under these conditions would breach this fundamental principle. This declaration is not a refusal to serve but a necessary measure to prevent further harm to patients and protect ourselves from unjust legal consequences.
Our Demands:
We urgently call upon the Ministry of Health and all relevant authorities to:
1. Immediately initiate negotiations and encouragement with striking staff to restore normal hospital operations with out prerequisite.
2. Provide clear guidance and legal assurances to remaining senior staff acting in good faith under these unsafe conditions.
3. Ensure no disciplinary actions are taken against healthcare professionals prioritizing patient safety.
Sincerely,
SPHMMC IM Senior Consultants