NEW DELHI ;
AMID the growing anger and
outrage over the rape and murder of a Kolkata doctor, doctors across many hospitals of
the country have joined the
protests and halted elective
services, demanding that the
perpetrators of heinous crime
be brought to book.
The Federation of Resident
Doctors Association (FORDA)
on Monday wrote to the Union
Home Minister and announced
the nation-wide halting of elective services in hospitals to
express solidarity with the doctors of Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical
College and Hospital, where
the trainee doctor was found
violated and murdered at the
hospital’s seminar hall on
Friday. “This decision is not
made lightly, but it is necessary
to ensure that our voices are
heard and that the demands for
justice and safety are met without further delay,” said the federation in its letter.
Notably, the elective services are those which are not
urgent, including the scheduled clinical anaesthesia services provided to the patients.
These procedures differ from
urgent or emergency surgeries
requiring immediate attention
due to life-threatening ailments.
At least 10 government hospitals in Delhi have also started an indefinite strike and halted their elective services. They
include AIIMS, RML Hospital,
Safdarjung Hospital, Maulana
Azad Medical College, Deen
Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, Lady
Hardinge Medical College, GTB
Hospital, IHBAS, Dr Baba
Saheb Ambedkar Medical
College, and National Institute
of TB and Respiratory Diseases
Hospital. The FOR DA has also raised
its five demands, which
include-- Expeditious
Acceptance of Residents’
Demands: The demands of
the residents of R.G. Kar
Medical College must be
accepted and acted upon
swiftly.
Resignation of all the
responsible authorities,
which include the Principal,
MSVP, Dean, HOD of pulmonary medicine, and ACP
of RG Kar MC&H police outpost,whocouldnot perform
their duty of protecting the
dignity and life of a woman
who was in this case an onduty doctor.
No Police Brutality: There
mustbea firmassurance that
no police brutality or manhandling of the protesting
doctorswilloccur.Theirright
toprotestpeacefullymustbe
respected. Swift Justice for
the Deceased: Justice must
be served swiftly, and due
compensation provided to
the family of the deceased.
Security Protocols for
HealthcareWorkers and formationofExpertCommittee:
TheUniongovernmentmust
release and enforce a mandated protocol for the security of healthcare workers
across all hospitals, ensuring strict compliance and
speeding up ratifying the
Central Healthcare
ProtectionAct.BesidesFORDA, the Indian Medical
Association (IMA) has also
warned of nationwide
protestsif their demands are
not met within 48 hours.
There has been a growing
demand for a CBI probe and
speedy trial of the accused
in a fast-track court.
NCW TEAM ARRIVES IN
KOLKATA, TO MEET COPS,
FAMILY OF DECEASED: A
TWO-MEMBER team of the
National Commission for
Women (NCW) on Monday
arrivedinKolkatain thewake
of a woman doctor’s alleged
rape and murder at a staterun hospital here.
The two-member team,
led by Delina Khongdup,
went straight to the Kolkata
Police headquarters at
Lalbazar from the airport to
speak to officers investigating the case.