IMA announces 24-hour closure of services from tomorrow, ‘requires sympathy of nation’

NEW DELHI: The Indian Medical Association (IMA) 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 postgraduate (PG) trainee woman doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata and the subsequent vandalism at the medical hospital.

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, RV Ashokan, national president of IMA said.

Stating that the IMA requires “the sympathy of the nation with the just cause of its doctors”, it said all essential services will be maintained and casualties will be manned during this weekend. However, routine OPDs will not function and elective surgeries will not be conducted. “The withdrawal is across all the sectors wherever modern medicine doctors are providing service,” it said.

In a shocking incident, a postgraduate of chest medicine was alleged raped and murdered on duty in RG Kar Medical College, Kolkata in the early hours of August 9. Resident doctors across the nation have been on strike demanding justice and the IMA also staged a candle light dinner as well.

“The crime situation was handled shabbily by the college authorities and the police investigations stalled after the first day,” it said, adding that the Calcutta High Court had transferred the case from the Kolkata police to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) “while expressing discontent with the investigation so far”. “They also flagged the possibility of destruction of evidence if the state police continued with their investigation.”

Also read Kolkata doctor rape-murder: Mob vandalises RG Kar hospital; what happened during midnight protest

While the nation was celebrating the 78th Independence Day 2024 on August 15, the hospital was vandalized by a large mob destroying various facilities of the hospital. The “brutal hooliganism” which took place in the early hours on August 15 led to immediate protest by the nurses in the hospital demanding proper security in the premises of RG Kar medical college.

“Doctors especially women are vulnerable to violence because of the nature of the profession. 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,” it said.