Medical services across West Bengal were disrupted on Monday as junior doctors, interns, and postgraduate trainees remained on strike for the fourth consecutive day, protesting the rape and murder of a woman doctor in Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College Hospital. They also demand a magisterial inquiry into the violent death of the 31-year-old doctor.
To tackle the situation, the West Bengal government cancelled the leave of all senior doctors to manage the situation. However, on Monday morning, the junior doctors ceased attending to emergency duties as well, news agency PTI said. This could further worsen the situation across hospitals in the state.
"We want an impartial investigation into the murder of our colleague, either by the CBI or a sitting magistrate. We are dissatisfied with the current police investigation and will continue our protest until justice is served and the state ensures foolproof security for all doctors and healthcare workers," said a protesting junior doctor from RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, where the incident took place.
"Our senior doctors are on duty, and we hope they will handle the patient influx. They have been instructed to work until the situation stabilises," an official told PTI.
The body of the woman post-graduate trainee was found inside a seminar hall of the hospital on Friday morning. A civic volunteer was arrested on Saturday in connection with the crime.
The Federation of Resident Doctors' Association of India (FORDA) has endorsed the strike and called for a nationwide halt of elective services on Monday, informing the Union Health Ministry of their decision.
Protesting against the crime, ten government hospitals in Delhi also started an indefinite strike, halting all elective services on Monday.
#WATCH | RG Kar Medical College & Hospital incident | Delhi: Doctors and medical students gathered to protest over the Kolkata medical student death incident.
— ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2024
The members of FORDA call for a nationwide strike and demand justice for the tragic death of a second-year PG resident… pic.twitter.com/b1LlXuV26t
The Maulana Azad Medical College, RML Hospital, Lady Hardinge Medical College, VMMC and Safdarjung Hospital, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, GTB, IHBAS, Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Medical College, and National Institute of TB and Respiratory Diseases Hospital are participating in the strike, which began at 9 am, according to a statement by the Resident Doctors' Associations (RDA).
According to the RDA, during the indefinite strike, all outpatient departments (OPDs), operation theatres (OTs), and ward duties will be shut, but emergency services will be available as usual, ensuring that urgent patient care remains unaffected.
