The Indian Medical Association on Thursday announced the withdrawal of non-emergency services for 24 hours from 6 am on August 17 to protest against the rape and murder of a junior doctor at a medical college in Kolkata earlier this month.
The 31-year-old junior doctor and postgraduate student was found dead in the seminar hall of Kolkata’s state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. The incident led to widespread protests across the country.
On Thursday, the Indian Medical Association also criticised the vandalism of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital shortly after midnight on Thursday, saying that “hooliganism” was unleashed on protesting students on the eve of Independence Day.
A group of miscreants entered the premises and vandalised the area where protests were taking place against the rape and murder of the junior doctor.
The Kolkata Police said that a group of persons disguised as protestors entered the premises, vandalised property and threw stones at police personnel. They allegedly attacked demonstrators, including doctors, and also damaged police cars.
The mob comprised 5,000 to 7,000 persons, according to an official statement.
Twelve persons were detained on Thursday for the vandalism, The Hindu reported.
In its statement, the Indian Medical Association said on Thursday that “doctors, especially women, are vulnerable to violence because of the nature of the profession”.
It added: “It is for the 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 concerned authorities to the needs of doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers.”
The medical association said that it has declared a nationwide withdrawal of services from 6 am on August 17 to 6 am on August 18. “All essential services will be maintained and casualties will be manned,” it said.
“Routine OPDs [Out Patient Departments] will not function and elective surgeries will not be conducted,” the statement said. “The withdrawal is across all the sectors wherever modern medicine doctors are providing service. The IMA [Indian Medical Association] requires the sympathy of the nation with the just cause of its doctors.”
The Indian Medical Association’s statement came on the same day that the Federation of Resident Doctors Association decided to resume protests in light of the vandalism of the hospital and criticism of its earlier decision to withdraw its strike.
The welfare body had called off its strike on Wednesday after meeting with Union Minister of Health JP Nadda a day earlier.
In its statement then, it said that Nadda had assured that a ratification committee on the Central Healthcare Protection Act would be formed, with the Federation of Resident Doctors Association as a key stakeholder.
The Act, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha in 2022, is a draft bill for the protection of healthcare workers and hospitals.
On Thursday, the welfare body said it would be resuming the strike, adding that its earlier decision to withdraw had caused “distress and disappointment” within the community.
On Wednesday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urged the Central Bureau of Investigation, which is looking into the rape and murder case, to ensure capital punishment for the culprit by Sunday.
She added that the state government is following the directives of the Calcutta High Court and is cooperating with the CBI.
Banerjee urged striking doctors to resume duty. “If it makes you happy, I touch your feet and request you to resume your duties to help people with medical assistance,” she said.
Also read: What a brutal crime in a Kolkata hospital reveals about the dangers women doctors face in India
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