Medical Body's Nationwide Strike: Health Ministry Assures Safety Norms (Photo @adidhanawat)
The Kolkata rape and murder case has caused strong outrage across the nation, with the largest organisation of medical staffs in the country, the Indian Medical Association (IMA), calling for a nationwide strike, shutting down hospital services on Saturday, August 17.
The shutdown follows the brutal rape and killing of a 31-year-old postgraduate trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital seminar hall in Kolkata while on duty. The strike, one of the largest by the doctors, is reported to have ceased services except emergency care and critical treatments, which will continue as usual. Essential services and causality services will be operated while the other services will be closed. Amid the protest, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare today reportedly announced that it will form a committee to recommend measures for improving the safety of healthcare professionals.
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The doctors are demanding early justice for the victim along with strict norms to ensure the safety of healthcare professionals across the country. Following the horrific Kolkata incident, another rape and murder case involving a nurse in Uttarakhand was unfurled, adding fury to the public outrage.
The police have arrested one accused, Sanjoy Roy, who has confessed the crime. However, parents have raised suspicions about the potential involvements of colleagues and doctors. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is currently probing the case, and around 30 people are reportedly on the CBI suspect list, Business Today reported.
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Regarding the committee that the health ministry promised to set up to ensure the health care professionals safety, it is reported that the representatives of all stakeholders, including the state governments, will be invited to share their suggestions with the committee, The New Indian Express reported. The ministry has also requested the doctors agitating across the country to restart their duties in the larger public interest, noting the outbreak of dengue, malaria, and other epidemics.
