THE Indian Medical Association has announced a 24-hour nationwide withdrawal of non-emergency services from 6 am on August 17 to protest against the alleged rape and murder of a trainee woman doctor at the state-run R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata and the subsequent vandalism at the facility. Essential services will be maintained and casualty wards operational, the medical body said in a statement issued late on Thursday night. Out-patient departments (OPD) will not function and elective surgeries will not be conducted. The withdrawal is across all sectors wherever modern medicine doctors are providing services, the IMA said. “Subsequent to the brutal crime in R G Kar Medical College, Kolkata, and the hooliganism unleashed on the protesting students on the eve of Independence Day (Wednesday night), the Indian Medical Association declares nationwide withdrawal of services by doctors of modern medicine from 6 am on Saturday 17.08.2024 to 6 am Sunday 18.08.2024 for 24 hours,” the statement said. “Doctors, especially women, are vulnerable to violence because of the nature of the profession. It is for authorities to provide for the safety of doctors inside hospitals and campuses. Both physical assaults and crimes are a result of indifference and insensitivity of the authorities concerned to the needs of doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers,” it said. The call for the nationwide withdrawal of non-emergency medical services was taken after a meeting with state branches of the IMA.

 

The IMA on Thursday condemned the vandalism at the Kolkata hospital where doctors have been protesting since August 9 evening following the alleged rape and murder of the woman medic. Earlier in the day, the medical association said, “Authorities, who by their negligence had allowed such a heinous crime to happen, have once again failed to maintain law and order when an all-important CBI investigation is going on.” “Such vandalism with impunity points to anarchy and the breaking down of law and order. The IMA condemns this mindless violence and is apprehensive of loss of crucial evidence,” it said in a statement. According to the Kolkata Police, nearly 40 people, masquerading as protesters, entered the hospital premises, vandalised property and pelted stones at police personnel, prompting the force to lob tear gas shells to disperse the crowd.

 

Mah: Resident doctors’ strike intensifies as seniors join them: THE resident doctor’s indefinite strike intensified in Maharashtra on its fourth day on Friday, with their seniors joining the protest, disrupting services at government and civic hospitals and inconveniencing thousands of patients in the state. Dr Pratik Debaje, president of Maharashtra State Association of Residential Doctors (Central-MARD) told PTI that 6000-7000 senior resident doctors affiliated to the Maharashtra Association of Bonded Resident Doctors (MABRD) and the Association of State Medical Interns (ASMI) joined the strike on Friday. “17,000-18,000 (resident) doctors in Maharashtra are on strike at present,” Debaje said. 19 arrested for vandalism at Kolkata’s RG Kar hospital: KOLKATA Police on Friday said it has so far arrested 19 people in connection with the vandalism and violence at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in the metropolis. Those arrested were remanded to police custody by a city court till August 22, officials said. RG Kar Hospital may take weeks to restore earlier look after vandalism: Official: ROOMS and spaces housing 18 departments have been vandalised by a mob in state-run R G Kar Medical College and Hospital and it may take weeks for restoration, a senior official of the health department said on Thursday. Massive vandalism was witnessed in the emergency, staffers’ room, changing room for nurses and medicine store in the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday, he said. IMA makes 5 demands including Central law to protect doctors, hospitals: THE Indian Medical Association (IMA) has issued a strong call for a Central law to protect doctors and hospitals in the wake of the horrific rape and murder of a second-year trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata. The association has called for immediate and effective measures to address these issues, stating that both the medical fraternity and the country are victims of this violence. The IMA also demanded a significant policy to address violence against doctors and hospitals.

 

They are 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. This move, they believe, would strengthen the existing legislation in 25 states. The IMA has also suggested that an ordinance similar to the one enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic would be appropriate in this situation. “The security protocols of all hospitals should be no less than an airport. Declaring the hospitals as safe zones with mandatory security entitlements is the first step. CCTVs, deployment of security personnel and the protocols can follow,” the IMA stated in an official release. In addition to security concerns, the IMA has highlighted the dire working conditions faced by resident doctors. They pointed out that the victim had been on a 36-hour duty shift and that the lack of safe spaces and adequate rest areas for doctors needs to be urgently addressed.

 

The IMA has also demanded 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,” IMA stated. As part of their protest, the IMA has announced a 24-hour withdrawal of services by all modern medicine doctors across the country, regardless of their sector or place of work. While emergency services and casualties will continue to function, there will be no outpatient departments (OPDs) or elective surgeries during this period. The withdrawal will commence at 6 am on Saturday, 17th August 2024, and end at 6 am on Sunday, 18th August 2024. The IMA has urged the nation to understand and support this struggle for justice for doctors and their safety, emphasizing that this is not just a medical issue but a fight for the dignity and security of women and medical professionals across the country. On August 9, a post-graduate trainee doctor was found dead in the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.

 

The victim’s family has alleged that she was raped and murdered. This incident has triggered a nationwide protest by doctors and medical fraternities. , adding almost all the CCTV cameras were also broken. A portion of the seminar hall, where a woman doctor was allegedly raped and murdered, was also vandalised and doors were damaged, he said. A group of around 40 people entered the hospital and vandalised the emergency department, nursing station, and medicine store, while also damaging CCTV cameras and ransacking a stage where junior doctors had been demonstrating since August 9 protesting the alleged rape and murder of the woman postgraduate trainee there and demanding security at their workplace. “Massive destruction was carried out by these people. What were they looking for? The degree of devastation is yet to be evaluated,” the official told PTI. “Refrigerators with medicines worth several lakhs of rupees stored inside them were also damaged. Tables, chairs, computers, X-ray machines and other devices were also entirely damaged,” he added. Asked how many days would they require for restoration, the official said that it might take a couple of weeks. BJP stages statewide protests; demands Mamata Banerjee’s resignation: THE BJP staged rallies and sit-ins across West Bengal on Friday, demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee following the recent murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital here. Party workers, carrying posters demanding Banerjee’s resignation and raising slogans against the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government, described the state’s condition as worse than failed democracies like Pakistan and Afghanistan, accusing the administration of failing to resolve the crisis. The party alleged that their planned rally at Shyambazar Five Point Crossing in Kolkata was thwarted by police. A stage set up for the rally was dismantled, and several BJP workers were detained and taken to the central lock-up at Lalbazar police headquarters.

 

The party condemned these actions, labeling them as attempts to stifle public dissent. “By dismantling our stage, does the TMC think it can suppress people’s outrage over this horrific incident? The situation in West Bengal is worse than failed democracies like Pakistan and Afghanistan. Banerjee should resign immediately for her failure to fulfill her duties,” BJP leader Dilip Ghosh said. Several BJP leaders, including MLA Agnimitra Paul and Rudranil Ghosh, were also present in Shyambazar to participate in the demonstration. “This authoritarian government must go. The people of this state will oust Mamata Banerjee government,” Paul said. BJP state chief Sukanta Majumdar also reached the spot and staged a sit-in there.