Kolkata Doctor Rape And Murder: Doctors' Protests Hit Healthcare Services Across Hospitals In India

Doctors across India halted work on Tuesday (13 August), refusing to resume duties except for emergency cases, in a nationwide protest against the rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.

The Federation of Resident Doctors' Association (FORDA) declared a nationwide suspension of elective medical services on Monday (12 August).

In a strongly-worded letter to Union Health Minister JP Nadda, FORDA termed the Kolkata incident as "perhaps the greatest travesty in the history of the resident doctor community", NDTV reported.

FORDA has called for the resignation of all officials responsible for failing to protect the dignity and life of the on-duty female doctor. The association has also sought assurance against any mistreatment of the protesting doctors and urged swift action in the case.

Additionally, the doctors' association has also demanded security protocols for healthcare workers.

They have urged the Central Government to enforce a mandated security protocol to ensure the safety of healthcare workers.

Healthcare services at most hospitals in Kolkata have been severely disrupted as doctors joined the protest demanding justice in the case. Many patients and their families have voiced frustrations over the inconveniences caused by the ongoing protests.

At King George's Medical University in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, protesting doctors assembled this morning and marched to the Outpatient Department (OPD) to halt services. Patients and their families were seen banging on the closed OPD doors, demanding medical attention.

In Mumbai, doctors from several leading hospitals, including J J Hospital, Sion Hospital, Nair Hospital, and King Edward Memorial Hospital, have joined the protest.

At AIIMS Delhi, daily surgeries have plummeted by 80 percent, and admissions have decreased by 35 percent since doctors began an indefinite strike over the Kolkata incident, according to news agency PTI.

Meanwhile, AIIMS authorities have issued a circular urging doctors to return to work, citing a High Court order that prohibits doctors from participating in protests on hospital premises.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has also sent a letter to Union Health Minister J P Nadda, pressing for the enactment of a central law to deter attacks and violence against doctors, and for the declaration of hospitals as safe zones.

The IMA has noted that while 25 states have laws aimed at preventing attacks on doctors, these are largely ineffective in practice.

"The absence of a special central enactment is one of the reasons," it has said.

A civic volunteer who was a regular visitor to the R G Kar hospital has been arrested in connection with the rape and murder of the Kolkata doctor.

The West Bengal Chief Minister has given the city police time till Sunday to complete the investigation, after which the state government will recommend a CBI probe.

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