Doctor rape-murder case: Doctors halt elective services in hospitals in many cities

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 nationwide 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 FORDA 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, who could not perform their duty of protecting the dignity and life of a woman who was in this case an on-duty doctor.

No Police Brutality: There must be a firm assurance that no police brutality or manhandling of the protesting doctors will occur. Their right to protest peacefully must be respected.

Swift Justice for the Deceased: Justice must be served swiftly, and due compensation provided to the family of the deceased.

Security Protocols for Healthcare Workers and formation of Expert Committee: The Union government must 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 Protection Act.

Besides FORDA, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has also warned of nationwide protests if 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.