Kolkata rape-murder: OPDs shut, surgeries hit as doctors go on nationwide strike

Hospital services were disrupted in across India cities on Tuesday, after the nationwide spread of a doctors’ protest against the alleged rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar College and Hospital.
The body of the doctor, who was allegedly raped and murdered inside a seminar hall of the RG Kar Hospital, was found on Friday morning. A civic volunteer, identified as Sanjoy Roy, was arrested in this connection on Saturday.
The nationwide strike to protest the rape and murder of the trainee doctor paralysed elective services, including OPDs and non-emergency surgeries.
Television images showed thousands of doctors marching on Monday to protest the incident at a government-run hospital, calling for justice for the victim and better security measures, paralysing health services in West Bengal.
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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”.
West Bengal: Junior doctors, interns, and postgraduate trainees at government medical establishments across the state vowed to continue their agitation, now in its fourth day, until the culprits are brought to justice. Meanwhile, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee pledged to transfer the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation if the state police fail to solve it by Sunday.
The agitation affected healthcare services as long queues of patients were seen at out-patient departments (OPDs) of all government hospitals since early Tuesday morning as senior doctors were substituting their junior counterparts to address the rush.
The agitating junior doctors, who have been pressing for magisterial probe into the killing of the woman doctor and removal of senior officials from RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, on Tuesday set a deadline of August 14 for the Kolkata Police to complete their investigation.
Delhi: Resident doctors from multiple hospitals in Delhi, including centrally-run facilities AIIMS, RML Hospital and Safdarjung Hospital, are on an indefinite strike in response to a call from the Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA).
Patients visiting out-patient departments of various Delhi government hospitals had to return without consultation on Monday and Tuesday. The strike has caused hardships to some individuals who had come from NCR towns of Ghaziabad, Gurugram, and Faridabad as early as 5am to secure a spot in the queue.
On Tuesday, doctors and medical students held a protest at AIIMS Delhi in solidarity against the sexual assault and murder of the woman post-graduate trainee (PGT) on August 9.
Doctors and medical students at Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital also protested and demanded a CBI probe into the sexual assault and murder of a woman trainee doctor.
Maharashtra: Doctors and medical students staged a protest in Mumbai and Nagpur also demanding justice for the woman post-graduate trainee doctor. BMC MARD general secretary Dr Akshay Dongardive said, “The woman doctor was on duty when she was raped. Post–mortem said that blood was oozing from her private parts. This is a major rape-murder case after the Nirbhaya incident. It puts us all to shame. We have joined in the nationwide protest. All resident doctors across all government hospitals in Maharashtra are observing suspension of services today. Emergency services are still operational, patients are not facing any issues.”
In Nagpur, doctors and medical students staged a protest in front of OPD of Govt Medical College & Hospital (GMCH).
Jharkhand: Junior doctors at state-run Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi started ‘pen-down’ agitation by boycotting OPD services and elective surgeries. However, they continued to attend emergency services at the premier hospital.
The agitating doctors demanded a CBI probe into the rape and murder of the woman doctor in Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
Around 200 doctors have joined the agitation and senior resident doctors have also supported the stir, Ankit Kumar, president of Junior Doctors’ Association (JDA) at RIMS, told news agency PTI.
Rajasthan: Medical services at government facilities in Jaipur, including the largest state-run Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital, were affected as resident doctors went on a strike. However, emergency services are not impacted.
On Monday evening, the Jaipur Association of Resident Doctors (JARD) announced immediate suspension of non-essential services.
They are demanding a transparent investigation in the rape-murder case, the resignation of responsible authorities, compensation to her family, implementation of a central law for their protection, and workplace safety measures at all medical colleges across the country.
(With inputs from PTI, ANI)