Nationwide doctor strike against Kolkata rape-murder hits services

Protests by doctors demanding justice and better workplace security began in Kolkata and eventually spread to other parts of the country

Doctors in hospitals across states, including the national capital Delhi, went on an indefinite strike on Monday, halting all non-urgent elective services to demand a fair investigation into the rape and murder of a postgraduate resident doctor at Kolkata's R G Kar Medical College and Hospital.

The Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association of India (FORDA) had called for the strike, urging resident doctors’ associations (RDAs) and state medical associations to suspend elective services and demand justice for the deceased doctor. They demand a mandated security protocol for health care workers.

Elective services are non-urgent and not medically necessary. These procedures are usually scheduled in advance and differ from urgent or emergency surgeries requiring immediate attention due to life-threatening conditions.

 

Protests by doctors demanding justice and better workplace security began in Kolkata and spread nationwide.

A 31-year-old resident doctor was found brutally assaulted in the seminar hall of R G Kar Medical College, where she had gone to rest after a 36-hour shift. She had multiple injuries, including a broken neck bone, and an autopsy confirmed sexual assault and homicide. On Saturday, the police arrested Sanjay Roy, a volunteer at the hospital, in connection with the attack.

Facing backlash for the perceived failure to ensure the safety of the hospital's staff, the principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Sandip Ghosh, resigned from his post and government service on Monday.

FORDA is demanding a speedy trial, an inquiry to identify factors that enabled the crime, and urgent measures to improve the safety of doctors on duty in hospitals.

The call has garnered support from major RDAs, with 10 government hospitals in New Delhi joining the strike and suspending elective services. These include Maulana Azad Medical College, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Lady Hardinge Medical College, and others.

Apart from these 10 hospitals, resident doctors of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) in Bengaluru are also striking, even as hospital services in West Bengal continue to be disrupted by protests for a fourth straight day.

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi also suspended all elective and non-essential services, although emergency services continue.

“Emergency services will function normally as the resident doctors will purportedly continue to work in the emergency services as per their scheduled duties,” AIIMS New Delhi said in a statement.

Similarly, the Uttar Pradesh RDA announced a statewide strike across all medical colleges in the state.

In Karnataka, doctors from the state chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) condemned the rape and murder, while the Association of Physicians of India asked all doctors to wear a black badge in solidarity with the victim and urged them to display the message in their clinics.

The Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors announced the suspension of elective and non-emergency medical services by resident doctors until the demands of Kolkata’s R G Kar Medical College residents are met.

Raising concerns about the integrity of the ongoing probe, resident doctors demand an immediate transfer to the Central Bureau of Investigation.

The IMA and the All India Medical Students’ Association have also issued statements demanding a fair investigation and strict action against the culprits.

As pressure mounts, Mamata says CBI to probe if cops fail to crack case by Sunday

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee vowed to transfer the alleged rape and murder case of a woman physician inside a Kolata hospital to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) if the police failed to solve it by Sunday, amid public outrage.

Supporting the cease work by junior doctors at that hospital, interns and postgraduate trainees at other state-run medical establishments across the state vowed to continue their agitation, now in its fourth day, until the culprits are brought to justice.

Banerjee’s promise, however, did not placate the protesting students, who criticized the chief minister for setting a seven-day deadline to address the alleged rape and murder of a fellow doctor.