Doctors and Medical Students Protest Nationwide for Justice for Kolkata Doctor
New Delhi [India], August 13: Doctors and medical students held a protest at AIIMS Delhi on Tuesday after the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) called for a nationwide shutdown of OPD services. This was in solidarity against the sexual assault and murder of a woman post-graduate trainee (PGT) doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9.
Protests Across India
Dr. Indra Shekhar Prasad, President of the Resident Doctors Association at AIIMS Delhi, stated, “This is such a serious incident. A woman who was on duty was sexually assaulted and murdered brutally. If such incidents happen at workplaces, how will the women work? We have several demands regarding safety concerns. We want a CBI probe into this, till then we will continue our protest.”
Doctors and medical students at Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital also protested and demanded a CBI probe into the incident. Protests were also held in Mumbai and Nagpur, with doctors demanding justice for the woman post-graduate trainee doctor.
Statements from Protesters
Dr. Akshay Dongardive, General Secretary of BMC MARD, said, “The woman doctor was on duty when she was raped. Post-mortem said that blood was oozing from her private parts. This is a major rape-murder case after the Nirbhaya incident. It puts us all to shame. We have joined in the nationwide protest. All resident doctors across all government hospitals in Maharashtra are observing suspension of services today. Emergency services are still operational, patients are not facing any issues.”
In Nagpur, Dr. Diksha Bajaj from the Government Medical College & Hospital (GMCH) said, “Doctors spend more time in hospitals than they do at their home. This is our second home. If we are not safe here, where will we be safe? We demand our safety and nothing else. We are serving the patients but our safety is important too. If we are not safe, how will we do our work? We want justice. We will call off our strike once we get justice.”
IMA’s Demand for Inquiry
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has written to Union Minister JP Nadda demanding a detailed inquiry into the conditions enabling the crime as well as steps to improve the safety of doctors, especially women, in the workplace.
The post-graduate trainee doctor was found raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9.
Doubts Revealed
Protest -: A protest is when people gather together to show that they are unhappy about something and want it to change.
Nationwide -: Nationwide means happening all over the country, in this case, all over India.
Kolkata -: Kolkata is a big city in India, located in the state of West Bengal.
RG Kar Medical College -: RG Kar Medical College is a famous medical school and hospital in Kolkata.
Federation of All India Medical Association -: This is a group that represents doctors and medical students from all over India.
OPD services -: OPD stands for Outpatient Department, where patients go to see doctors without staying in the hospital.
CBI probe -: CBI stands for Central Bureau of Investigation, which is a special police force in India that investigates serious crimes.
Emergency services -: Emergency services are medical services that help people who are very sick or injured and need immediate care.
Indian Medical Association -: This is a group of doctors in India that works to improve healthcare and protect doctors’ rights.
Union Minister JP Nadda -: JP Nadda is a politician in India who has been in charge of health and family welfare.