Thousands of doctors halt services across the country after 31-year-old trainee medic is found dead in a hospital.
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Authorities and media reports indicate that hospital services have been disrupted in several Indian cities due to a doctors' protest that spread across the nation. This protest was sparked by the tragic rape and murder of a trainee medic in Kolkata.
Thousands of doctors marched on Monday in Kolkata, capital of West Bengal state, and other cities in the state to denounce the killing at a government-run hospital, demanding justice for the victim and better security measures.
The body of the 31-year-old trainee doctor was found dead inside the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on Friday. An autopsy showed she was raped before being killed.
A police volunteer was subsequently arrested in connection with the crime.
On Tuesday, protests expanded to other regions of India, with over 8,000 government doctors in Maharashtra, the state that includes Mumbai, the financial capital, stopping work in all hospital departments except for emergency services. This information was reported by local media.
The Federation of Resident Doctors Association had called for nationwide halting of elective services in hospitals starting Monday.
State official N.S. Nigam informed Reuters news agency that emergency services remained suspended on Tuesday in nearly all government-run medical college hospitals in Kolkata. He added that the government was currently evaluating the impact of this suspension on health services.
In the national capital, New Delhi, junior doctors wearing white coats held posters that read, “Doctors are not punching bags,” as they sat in protest outside a large government hospital.
Similar protests in cities such as Lucknow, capital of the most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, and in the western tourist resort state of Goa hit some hospital services, reports said.
“Pedestrian working conditions, inhuman workloads and violence in the workplace are the reality,” the Indian Medical Association (IMA), the biggest grouping of doctors in the country, told Health Minister JP Nadda in a letter released before they met him for talks on Tuesday.
Anil Kumar J Nayak, the General Secretary of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), expressed that his organization had appealed to J.P. Nadda to enhance security measures at medical facilities. Speaking to ANI news agency, he emphasized the need for improved safety protocols to protect healthcare workers and patients in these institutions.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare did not immediately comment.
"A doctor at Gobind Ballabh Pant Hospital in Agartala emphasized the necessity of a free and fair environment for doctors to perform their duties effectively. He stated that without such conditions, skilled medical work cannot be carried out. He also urged for the installation of CCTV cameras in hospitals to ensure safety and transparency, as reported by the Indian Express newspaper."
A high court in Kolkata directed that the criminal investigation into the incident be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), a federal agency. This decision highlights that the authorities are considering the case a matter of national importance and are prioritizing it accordingly.
The National Medical Commission, India’s medical education regulator, issued a directive to all medical institutions, as reported on Tuesday. The notice called for the installation of CCTV cameras in sensitive areas and emphasized the need for adequate security personnel to be present at these locations.
The notice also called for the campus including all corridors to be well lit in the evening for staff to safely walk from one place to another.
Doctors in India's overcrowded and often poorly maintained government hospitals have frequently voiced concerns about being overworked and underpaid. They also point out that insufficient efforts are made to prevent the violence they face from individuals frustrated with the medical care provided.