Resident doctors at government hospitals across the country held protests on Monday, August 12 and Tuesday, August 13, over the recent rape-murder of a postgraduate trainee in Kolkata, with those in West Bengal and Delhi going on an indefinite strike that hit outpatient services and non-emergency surgeries.
The move comes in response to a call from the Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA) which said the “strike won’t stop unless justice is served and our demands are met.”
According to the FORDA, during the indefinite strike, outpatient departments (OPDs), operation theatres, and ward duties will be shut, but emergency services will continue to operate as usual.
In the national capital, resident doctors from multiple hospitals, including Centrally-run facilities AIIMS, RML Hospital and Safdarjung Hospital, began striking on Monday morning, causing hardships to patients who visited outpatient departments of the medical facilities only to have to return without being able to consult a doctor.
In West Bengal, junior doctors, interns, and postgraduate trainees at government medical establishments across the State vowed to continue their agitation, until the culprits are brought to justice.
The body of the postgraduate trainee, who was allegedly raped and murdered, was found inside a seminar hall of the RG Kar Hospital last week. A civic volunteer was arrested in connection with the case.
The incident has sparked widespread protests, with junior doctors and healthcare workers expressing deep concern over their safety.
Doctors and medical students protest against the sexual assault and killing of a Kolkata based post-graduate trainee doctor, at Nair Hospital in Mumbai, Tuesday, August 13, 2024 | Photo Credit: PTI
In Maharashtra, resident doctors announced an indefinite strike from Tuesday, August 13, in solidarity with their colleagues who are protesting against the incident. "All elective services in hospitals across Maharashtra will be halted from Tuesday. All emergency services will be continued as usual," the Central MARD (Maharashtra State Association of Resident Doctors) said in a statement on August 12.
Joining the nationwide strike, the Resident Doctors' Association (RDA) of AIIMS Delhi suspended all elective and non-essential services, including OPDs and patient wards. However, emergency care will continue to ensure critically ill patients do not suffer and receive treatment, Raghunandan Dixit, General Secretary of AIIMS RDA had said.
In the national capital, other major hospitals which participated in the strike included the Maulana Azad Medical College, RML Hospital, Lady Hardinge Medical College, VMMC and Safdarjung Hospital, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, Institute of Human Behaviour, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences and Allied Sciences (IHBAS), Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Medical College, and National Institute of TB and Respiratory Diseases Hospital.
FORDA demands
FORDA General Secretary Sarvesh Pandey told PTI, "We presented our demands to the Health Secretary, including the immediate removal of the principal of RG Kar Medical College, a CBI inquiry, a fast-track court (trial), and the formation of a committee to implement the Central Protection Act."
Dhruv Chauhan, national council member of the Indian Medical Association's Junior Doctors Network, told PTI: "Unlike every time when the assault on doctors went unnoticed, the doctors' nationwide strike won't stop this time unless justice is served and our demands are met."
"FORDA has decided halting of elective health services across the nation which is supported by all the doctors and medical associations. At a personal level, we also request the doctors to wear black ribbons as a mark of solidarity in support of the victim who lost her life," Dr. Chauhan added.
In several hospitals, doctors were seen holding posters that say 'we want a safe environment to work' and raised slogans of 'we want justice'.
GTB Hospital RDA president Rajat Sharma said, "This is a matter of national concern and until we see concrete results, we will not back down. We will stand with our fellow students and offer our full support."
RDA members have also met with Health Secretary Apurva Chandra, where they called for a CBI inquiry into the incident.
Doctors sport black armbands, ribbons
In Rajasthan, the Jaipur Association of Resident Doctors (JARD) announced a strike in protest against the Kolkata incident, demanding a transparent investigation and adequate compensation to the victim's family. JARD president Manohar Siyol said that all non-essential services have been immediately suspended.
Doctors stage a demonstration against the sexual assault and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor in Kolkata at King George’s Medical University (KGMU), in Lucknow on Tuesday, August 13, 2024 | Photo Credit: PTI
In Uttar Pradesh's capital Lucknow, resident doctors from several government hospitals held protests against the incident and demanded a time-bound probe into the matter. The protests were held at the King George's Medical University (KGMU), Kalyan Singh Super Speciality Cancer Institute (KSSSCI) and Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences.
With black ribbons on their hands and holding placards, the protesters demanded a thorough probe into the matter and also security for the medical staff in hospitals.
In Chandigarh, junior doctors of the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) went on an indefinite strike and also held a protest. In Jammu, hundreds of resident doctors suspended their regular work and staged a peaceful rally to lodge their protest against the Kolkata incident.
Doctors wearing black armbands raised slogans calling for justice to the victim. They staged a rally from the Super Specialty Hospital holding placards, some of which read 'we stand in solidarity with the victim' and 'raise your voice before you become the next victim'.
In Madhya Pradesh's Bhopal, junior doctors held a candlelight vigil over the incident, while doctors at NIMHANS Hospital in Bengaluru staged a protest demanding justice for the victim. Strongly condemning the heinous rape and murder, the Karnataka State Chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has demanded an impartial, thorough investigation of the case and punishment to the culprits.
Protests were also held in other parts of the country, including Patna, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad.
About 60 to 80 postgraduate medical students of the Madras Medical College staged a peaceful demonstration and took out a candlelight march on Monday, August 12, to express solidarity for the murdered doctor.
The JIPMER Resident Doctors’ Association (JRDA) in Puducherry launched an indefinite strike on Tuesday, August 13, shutting down all elective OPDs and other procedures, barring emergency services, to press for expeditious action in the case.
(With The Hindu Bureau inputs)
