Terming the Delhi government’s decision to cancel the license of Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, “irrational and autocratic” after it erroneously declared a newborn dead, the Delhi Medical Association (DMA) on Saturday urged Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to revoke the order or else threatened to go on strike.

In the letter marked to Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain, the DMA has emphasised the government should have waited for the report by Delhi Medical Council (DMC) into the issue before taking the stand against the hospital.

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“We have written the letter to the Chief Minister and sought revocation of the licence cancellation order of Max Hospital. We also want the two doctors of the hospital to be reinstated before the report of the DMC comes out. If no action is taken on our demands than we will call for a strike of all the resident doctors of private as well as government hospitals in Delhi,” President Elect of DMA Ashwini Goyal told IANS.

There was also a protest outside the hospital by the patients, who burnt effigies of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

In the wake of the incident, the services of two doctors — A.P. Mehta and Vishal Gupta — were terminated by the hospital authorities.

According to the DMA, the DMC which is a statutory body has taken cognizance of the matter and will come out with its report in a few days.

In the cancellation order, which came after a three-member panel had submitted a report to Health Minister Jain, the government has stopped the hospital from admitting any more new patients and put a stop to all outpatient treatment services and laboratory testing on the premises with immediate effect.

The baby boy — 22-weeks premature — was declared dead by Max Hospital on November 30 and handed over to the parents in a plastic bag, along with his still-born sister. However, the baby started moving while being taken for burial. The baby was then admitted in north Delhi’s Agarwal Nursing Home but died on Wednesday.

According to the DMA, while the investigation against the concerned doctors was expected, the decision to shut down the entire hospital is too harsh.

“The decision to shut the entire hospital is irrational and autocratic. Private hospitals bear 80 per cent of the patient’s burden in Delhi. Action against the concerned doctors is expected but why should all other departments and the hospital suffer,” said Goyal.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) termed the cancellation of licence “too harsh a step”. It backed the hospital and said if all hospitals start facing such situations where patients die due to such mistakes then healthcare will come to a halt.

Meanwhile, terming the Delhi government order as harsh, Max Hospital said they were not given adequate opportunity to put forth their side of the story.