Doctors Protest Nationwide After Kolkata Doctor’s Tragic Death
On August 13, doctors and medical students gathered at Nair Hospital in Mumbai to protest. This was in response to the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) calling for a nationwide shutdown of OPD services. The protest was sparked by the tragic sexual assault and murder of a woman post-graduate trainee (PGT) doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9.
Statements from Medical Representatives
Dr. Akshay Dongardive, General Secretary of BMC MARD, stated, “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.”
He also emphasized the need for a Central Protection Act for doctors, demanding justice and a CBI inquiry. “We request the State Government and Centre to intervene and order a CBI inquiry at the earliest. All demands of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital doctors should be met. Nearly 40,000 doctors in Maharashtra are on strike,” he added.
Protests in Nagpur
In Nagpur, doctors and medical students protested in front of the OPD of Govt Medical College & Hospital (GMCH). Dr. Diksha Bajaj from the hospital 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.”
Impact on Patients
Patients are facing difficulties as FAIMA has called for a nationwide shutdown of OPD services. At RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, the OPD was shut, leaving patients uncertain about the availability of services. One patient mentioned, “I have been standing here for 2 hours. We don’t know if the hospital is open. Nobody has told us anything.”
Political Reactions
Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar criticized West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for delaying the CBI inquiry into the case. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has also written to Union Minister JP Nadda, demanding a detailed inquiry and improved safety measures for doctors, especially women, in the workplace. The IMA’s letter stated, “We submit to you our demand for the safe zone, defined security measures and Central Law on violence as deterrent measures. We hope you would consider our demands favourably in the light of the deteriorating ground situation.”
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 something that happens 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.
Tragic Death -: A tragic death is a very sad and unfortunate event where someone dies.
Sexual Assault -: Sexual assault is when someone is forced to do something sexual without their permission. It’s a very serious crime.
Post-graduate Trainee Doctor -: A post-graduate trainee doctor is someone who has finished medical school and is now getting more training in a hospital.
RG Kar Medical College and Hospital -: This is a well-known hospital and medical college in Kolkata where doctors are trained.
Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) -: FAIMA is a group that represents doctors and medical students all over India.
Nationwide Shutdown of OPD Services -: This means that doctors all over India stopped working in the Outpatient Department (OPD) to show their protest.
Dr. Akshay Dongardive and Dr. Diksha Bajaj -: These are two doctors who spoke about the need for safety and justice for doctors.
Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar -: He is a government official in India who spoke about the delay in the investigation.
CBI Inquiry -: CBI stands for Central Bureau of Investigation, which is a special police force in India that investigates serious crimes.
Indian Medical Association -: This is a group that represents doctors in India and works to improve their working conditions and safety.
