Kolkata doctor rape-murder: IMA’s 24-hour nationwide strike today, hospital OPDs shut, makes 5 demands

The Indian Medical Association or IMA has announced a nationwide withdrawal of non-emergency medical services for 24 hours beginning at 6am on Saturday, August 17, to protest against the brutal rape and murder of a trainee woman doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.

On Friday, the IMA put forth five demands, including a thorough overhaul of the working and living conditions of resident doctors and a central law to check violence against healthcare professionals at workplaces.

All essential services will be maintained and casualties will be manned, the IMA said in a statement.

What are the 5 demands of IMA?

The IMA demanded a thorough overhaul of the working and living conditions of resident doctors, including the 36-hour duty shift that the RG Kar hospital victim was in and the lack of safe spaces to take a rest.

The IMA pushed for a central act that would incorporate the amendments made in 2023 to the Epidemic Diseases Act of 1897 into the proposed Hospital Protection Bill of 2019. This move, it believes, would strengthen the existing legislation in 25 states. The IMA has also suggested that an ordinance similar to the one enacted during the Covid-19 pandemic would be appropriate in this situation.

The doctors’ body also called for meticulous and professional investigation of the crime in a specific time-frame and rendering of justice besides identifying those involved in the vandalism of the RG Kar hospital premises on night of August 14 and awarding exemplary punishment.

It also said the security protocols of all hospitals should be no less than an airport. Declaring the hospitals as safe zones with mandatory security entitlements is the first step. CCTV cameras, deployment of security personnel and the protocols can follow, the IMA stated.

The association sought an appropriate and dignified compensation to the bereaved family commensurate with the cruelty inflicted.

Kolkata doctor’s rape-murder case: Latest updates

The IMA has announced a 24-hour withdrawal of services by all modern medicine doctors across the country, regardless of their sector or place of work.

While emergency services and casualties will continue to function, there will be no outpatient departments (OPDs) or elective surgeries during this period.

Thousands of doctors marched through various cities across the country on Friday to protest the rape and murder of the 31-year-old trainee doctor, demanding justice and better security at medical campuses and hospitals.

Demonstrators held signs calling for accountability for the woman’s rape and killing as they gathered near Parliament in New Delhi. Similar protests were held in Kolkata and other Indian cities like Mumbai and Hyderabad.

Junior doctors Rumalika Kumar and Riya Bera from RG Kar Medical College and Hospital expressed dissatisfaction, stating that their demands for justice have not been met. They also called for the immediate arrest of all culprits with proper evidence.

Speaking at a joint press conference on Friday, Rumalika Kumar said, “Due to non-transparency, the investigation has been transferred from the Kolkata Police to the CBI. However, even after 48 hours, our demands for justice have not been fulfilled at all. We have no clarity regarding the ongoing investigation.”

Bera said, “We demand the immediate arrest of all culprits, backed by proper evidence, along with an official press release from the CBI confirming the same, a written apology, and the resignation of higher authorities, including the former principal.”

Meanwhile, the Kolkata Police claimed to have arrested 25 people in connection with the vandalism by a mob at the RG Kar Hospital campus on August 14, causing damage to the protest site, vehicles, and public property.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that the Left is in connivance with the Ram (the Bharatiya Janata party) to create unrest in West Bengal.

The Bharatiya Janata Party Mahila Morcha under the leadership its national president Vanathi Srinivasan took out a silent candlelight march outside the medical college. Besides Vanathi Srinivasan, present at the march were national office bearers of Mahila Morcha and Rajya Sabha MP Darshan Singh, Sangeeta Yadav, Geeta Shakya, Indu Bala Coswami and West Bengal in-charge Pooja Kapil Mishra.