“Yes, we will write to the PM. We will write to the PM. It is the right time for his intervention… Definitely, this (PM Modi mentioning women’s safety in his August 15 speech) is one aspect that shows he is concerned. It will be very appropriate to write to the PM. IMA will do that,” IMA president Ashokan told ANI.
Meanwhile, the Union health ministry assured doctors’ associations of setting up a committee to suggest possible measures to ensure the safety of healthcare professionals. This came after the IMA put forth five demands, including enactment of a law by the central government for the protection of doctors.
Centre to set up committee to suggest safety measures for healthcare professionals
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Saturday said the central government will form a committee to suggest safety measures in the wake of rising attacks on healthcare workers, and urged protesting doctors to return to duty “in view of the rising number of dengue and malaria cases”.
“In view of the concerns expressed by the associations, the ministry has assured them of constituting a committee to suggest all possible measures to ensure the safety of healthcare professionals. Representatives of all stakeholders, including state governments, will be invited to share their suggestions with the committee,” the statement said.
It added, “It was found that 26 states have already passed laws to protect healthcare workers in their respective states.”
Speaking about the meeting with the ministry, IMA president Ashokan said, “We met the health minister. Now the government has to respond. They will now have the political will to respond. Because what we have asked for is not beyond their reach. We are demanding a very fundamental right, the right to life.”
‘We want hospitals to be operational soon’: Services affected in states
Doctors and health workers from various states joined the protest demanding justice for the victim.
Several private hospitals in Chennai, including Apollo Hospitals and MGM Hospitals, put up notices advising patients to reschedule their outpatient appointments for Saturday. Non-emergency services, such as elective surgeries, were also postponed.
A patient at the Siliguri hospital said, “I have come here for a check-up… now I have been asked to come on Tuesday. We want the hospital to become operational soon so that we can get treatment.”
Doctors in Assam demanded stringent punishment for the culprits and advocated for a central law to protect medical professionals. Outpatient and non-essential services in hospitals remained largely disrupted as doctors gathered on the premises, wearing black badges and holding placards in support of their demands.
Talking about the support being received from the states, the IMA president said, “There is an overwhelming response from every corner of the country. Doctors are united against this injustice. There are protests for emergency services and casualty care. The medical profession is united across the country. Doctors in all sectors, be it private, government or corporate, are protesting. We are getting international attention on this issue as it involves the issue of women’s safety.”
‘We stand in solidarity’: Medical associations across borders express support
The British Medical Association (BMA) expressed support for the protesting health professionals in Kolkata and across India.
“No doctor should have to fear this kind of violence,” said one post on X.
It added, “We stand in solidarity with doctors in Kolkata and across India during this troubling time, and support their call for immediate measures to improve the safety of women doctors in the workplace, including by providing safe and private spaces for doctors to use during their shifts.”
Meanwhile, protests demanding justice for the victim took place in New York City’s Times Square, the streets of Canada, Britain, Germany and Bangladesh.
IMA put forward 5 demands for the safety of doctors
The Indian Medical Association, which is leading the nationwide strike, on Friday put forward five demands for the safety of healthcare professionals in the country. These include:
- At the policy level, the reluctance to accept violence on doctors and hospitals must change. A central act incorporating the 2023 amendments to the Epidemic Diseases Act 1897 into the draft Hospital Protection Bill of 2019 will strengthen the existing 25 state legislations. An ordinance is needed during the Covid pandemic.
- The security arrangements of all hospitals should be no less than that of an airport. The first step is to declare hospitals as safe zones with mandatory security rights. CCTVs, deployment of security personnel and protocols can be followed.
- The victim was required to work 36-hour days and there was a lack of safe places to rest and adequate rest rooms, which necessitated extensive changes in the working and living conditions of resident doctors.
- Providing justice by conducting a timely and professional investigation of the crime. Identifying the vandals and giving them severe punishment.
- The victim’s family should be given appropriate and respectable compensation commensurate with the cruelty inflicted
The IMA on Friday called for a 24-hour strike by all modern medical doctors across the country in response to widespread outrage following the rape and murder of a second-year trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical College on August 9.
The strike began at 6 am on Saturday and will end at 6 am on Sunday. There will be no OPD or elective surgeries during this period.
The Faculty Association of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (FAIM) also showed solidarity and announced on Friday that its OPD and OT services will remain suspended on Saturday. Emergency services will continue “smoothly”, FAIM said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the CBI, which has taken over the case, has summoned the former principal of RG Kar Hospital for questioning for the second time. So far, one person has been arrested in the case.
