August 17th 2024.
The government announced on Saturday that a committee will be formed to propose safety measures for healthcare professionals. This comes as doctors across the country joined a 24-hour nationwide strike, called by the Indian Medical Association (IMA), to protest the alleged rape and murder of a trainee medic in Kolkata.
The strike has been ongoing since Monday, with resident doctors at government hospitals in various states, including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Maharashtra, and Haryana, among others, participating. The IMA had called for the withdrawal of non-emergency services for 24 hours starting from 6 am on Saturday to protest the horrific incident at the R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, as well as the subsequent vandalism at the facility.
The IMA has also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and address their five demands, which include a central law to prevent violence against healthcare personnel and the declaration of hospitals as safe zones with mandatory security entitlements.
In response to the strike, the Union health ministry has invited representatives from all stakeholders, including state governments, to share their suggestions with the committee. The ministry has also urged doctors to resume their duties in the larger public interest and in light of the increasing number of dengue and malaria cases.
Representatives of the Federation of Resident Doctors' Association, IMA, and resident doctors' associations from government medical colleges and hospitals in Delhi met with the Union health minister to discuss the Kolkata incident. The IMA stated that they are currently examining the statement released by the health ministry, which assures doctors of all possible efforts to ensure their safety and offers to form a committee to suggest measures for the same. They will respond after carefully considering all aspects and consulting with their state branches.
Speaking to reporters at the Bhubaneswar airport in Odisha, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju expressed concern over the Kolkata incident and stated that it is not just the healthcare fraternity, but everyone who is affected by it. In West Bengal, the former principal of R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, Dr. Sandip Ghosh, appeared before the CBI for questioning for the second consecutive day on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the strike has been joined by doctors from various states, including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Mizoram, and Nagaland. In the national capital, major private hospitals have shut down their OPDs, elective surgeries, and IPD services. The strike, which entered its sixth day on Saturday, has been joined by private hospitals along with government hospitals.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren condemned the rape and murder and appealed to the protesting medics to return to work for the sake of the patients. However, healthcare services were affected in the state as doctors joined the strike. Soren has directed the DGP to take strict measures to ensure the safety of all staff working in state hospitals.
In Karnataka, Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao condemned the incident and called for a meeting on August 20 to discuss steps to ensure the safety and security of doctors, nurses, and other staff working in hospitals across the state. In Chhattisgarh, over 4,500 doctors joined the strike, affecting medical services in the state. Protests were held by doctors in Punjab and Haryana, demanding safety for healthcare professionals at their workplace. Outpatient department services and elective surgeries were not conducted, but emergency services were not affected.
In Gujarat, doctors did not attend to OPDs or conduct elective surgeries and held protest gatherings and rallies demanding justice for the trainee doctor. In Bihar, the AIIMS-Patna Executive Director and CEO announced measures such as deploying more female security guards and installing additional CCTV cameras on the campus to ensure the safety of staff. Private medical practitioners in Maharashtra also joined the strike, affecting healthcare services in the state. In Mizoram, all private clinics remained closed in addition to the OPDs at government hospitals.
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