MBBS students of AIIMS-Patna boycotted classes on Wednesday and created a Twitter handle to spread the word on their grievances, upping the ante of their protests against the Centre and the healthcare hub.
The students did not take part in clinical training - part of the course in which students have to spend few hours in clinical teaching in indoor and outdoor wings of the hospital. Apart from three hours (from 9am) on clinical skills, AIIMS conducts classes of various batches between 8am and 2pm. Not one among the 450 students across the five batches attended class. Instead they sat on dharna outside the under construction outpatient department building for seven hours from 9am. It rained, but nothing dampened their spirit.
The students - protesting against lack of laboratories, faculty members, teaching space in the college - will continue their agitation till they receive any communication from the Union ministry.
To reach more people, the students also created a Twitter handle @AiimsP_Protest on Wednesday. Their ire and outburst is more than evident on the page.
The medics have tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the PMO, Union health minister J.P. Nadda in tweets asking "Where are the good days promised", posted pictures of inundated AIIMS campus after few hours of rain, open drainage canal and incomplete structures. Fourteen students are maintaining the Twitter handle with research on interesting quotes and news regarding AIIMS to lend momentum to their protest. For the first time in its four years the students raised their voice against inadequate infrastructure and poor manpower on Tuesday. They took out a procession on the campus, citing lack of facilities at the college and hospital campus.
Since setting up the Twitter page, the medics uploaded pictures of their agitation with strong slogans such as "Health ministry why mute to AIIMS-P" and cracked jokes at the institute's standard. "State College Medico: AIIMS is the best place to pursue Medical Sciences. AIIMS-P Student: Lol!! #iCanDitchTheMyth @JPNadda @MoHFW_INDIA"
Sources in the institute said even though director G.K. Singh approached the students, and asked them to lift the protest, the students did not relent.
"The director has admitted that our demands are genuine but on the other hand he is claiming we should not protest like this on campus. We are helpless," said an MBBS student wishing anonymity. "Unless we receive any communication from Union health minister J.P. Nadda on the issues, we won't end our protest. We won't join our classes. We might hamper the outpatient department on Thursday or the day (Friday) if there is no development."
Singh claimed that the students' academic calendar would be delayed if the agitation continues. "If they are willing to meet the Union health minister, they should seek his appointment. This is not the right way to put up issues. They want sky in a day. This is not possible."
