After finding that night duty doctors, who are expected to be on call and attend to every emergency, remain absent from hospitals, the PMC health department has recently sent notices to all Resident Medical Officers (RMO), reminding them of their responsibilities.

To ensure that every case gets attention from night-duty doctors, the corporation has provided quarters to them.
Sources, however, said many bunk their night duties and go home.

The notice sent to RMOs states: “The lives of patients will be at stake if the RMO is not present in the hospital. The administration has taken serious note of this lapse and if anyone is caught not attending to his or her duty, strict action will be initiated.”

“We have received some complaints about doctors not being present in the hospitals late at night. It is just not acceptable. I have sent notices to all RMOs’,” said Dr S T Pardeshi, PMC acting health chief.