Kolkata doctor rape-murder: Delhi hospitals launch indefinite strike, elective services suspended

New Delhi: Resident doctors from multiple hospitals in Delhi, including centrally-run facilities AIIMS, RML Hospital and Safdarjung Hospital, have begun an indefinite strike, suspending all elective services on Monday, in response to the recent rape and murder of a resident doctor in Kolkata.

According to the Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA), during the indefinite strike, all outpatient departments (OPDs), operation theatres (OTs), and ward duties will be shut, but emergency services will continue to operate as usual, ensuring that urgent patient care remains unaffected.

AIIMS' Resident Doctors' Association (RDA) joined FORDA in its nationwide strike against the trainee doctor's rape and murder in Kolkata.

"We also want adequate compensation to be provided to the bereaved family of the victim. The horror of this atrocity, occurring in a place meant to heal and save lives, is a grim reminder of the severe threat faced by those who serve our society selflessly," said Dr Raghunandan Dixit, General Secretary of AIIMS RDA.

The Maulana Azad Medical College, RML Hospital, Lady Hardinge Medical College, VMMC and Safdarjung Hospital, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, Institute of Human Behaviour, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences and Allied Sciences (IHBAS), Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Medical College, and National Institute of TB and Respiratory Diseases Hospital are participating in the strike that began at 9 am.

FORDA General Secretary Dr Sarvesh Pandey told PTI, "We presented our demands to the Health Secretary, including the immediate removal of the principal of RG Kar Medical College, a CBI inquiry, a fast-track court (trial), and the formation of a committee to implement the Central Protection Act."

Dr Dhruv Chauhan, the national council member of the Indian Medical Association's Junior Doctors Network, told PTI: "Unlike every time when the assault on doctors went unnoticed , the doctors nationwide won't stop this time unless justice is served and our demands are met."

"...FORDA has decided halting of elective health services across the nation which is supported by all the doctors and medical associations. At a personal level, we also request the doctors to wear black ribbons as a mark of solidarity in support of the victim who lost her life," Chauhan added.

In several hospitals, doctors were seen holding posters that say 'we want a safe environment to work' and raised slogans of 'we want justice.' GTB Hospital RDA president Rajat Sharma said, "This is a matter of national concern and until we see concrete results, we will not back down. We will stand with our fellow students and offer our full support." The Kolkata incident was heinous and unimaginable, Sharma said.

Referring to a recent killing of a person at GTB Hospital, he also pointed to security concerns at the hospital.

RDA members have also met with Health Secretary Apurva Chandra, where they called for a CBI inquiry into the incident.

The move comes in response to a call from the FORDA after a postgraduate trainee doctor was raped and murdered at the RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata while on duty.

The semi-naked body of the 32-year-old woman was found in the seminar hall of the government-run hospital in the West Bengal capital on Thursday night.

"As a mark of solidarity with our colleagues at RG Kar, we announce a nationwide suspension of elective services in hospitals starting Monday, August 12. This decision is not made lightly but is necessary to ensure that our voices are heard and that the demands for justice and safety are addressed without further delay," FORDA's statement issued on Sunday read.