Indian doctors observing 24-hr strike

Doctors across India are observing a 24-hour shutdown of non-emergency services on Saturday (August 17) in protest of the brutal rape and murder of a doctor at the R G Kar Medical College in Kolkata.

The shutdown began at 6 a.m., with medicos cutting off access to elective medical procedures and out-patient consultations, according to a statement by the Indian Medical Association (IMA), a national doctors’ body. Casualty departments at hospitals, which deal with emergencies, will continue to be staffed.

Protests erupted across the country, last week, after a 31-year old trainee doctor was raped and murdered inside the medical college where she worked. The IMA has since led protests across the country, with the doctors’ body holding a press conference on Friday, setting out its demands, which include a professional investigation of the crime within a specific timeframe.

“Meticulous and professional investigation of the crime in a timeframe and rendering of justice. Identify the hooligans of vandalism and award exemplary punishment. Appropriate and dignified compensation to the bereaved family commensurate with the cruelty inflicted,” the IMA said.

Additionally, the association called for immediate and effective measures to address issues of doctors’ safety and security, saying that both the medical fraternity and the country are victims of this violence.

The IMA is also pushing for a Central Act that would incorporate the amendments made in 2023 to the Epidemic Diseases Act of 1897 into the proposed Hospital Protection Bill of 2019, in a bid to protect doctors from violence. This move, they believe, would strengthen the existing legislation in 25 states.

(With inputs from agencies)