Amid the nationwide uproar by doctors against the gruesome rape and murder of a female resident doctor in Kolkata's RG Kar Hospital, ten government hospitals in Delhi have begun an indefinite strike, halting all elective services on Monday.
The ten hospitals that went on indefinite strike include the Maulana Azad Medical College, RML Hospital, Lady Hardinge Medical College, VMMC and Safdarjung Hospital, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, GTB, IHBAS, Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Medical College, and National Institute of TB and Respiratory Diseases Hospital. The strike began at 9 am, according to a statement by the Resident Doctors' Associations (RDA).
As per the RDA, during the indefinite strike, all operation theatres (OTs), outpatient departments (OPDs), and ward duties will remain shut. However, the emergency services will continue to operate as usual so that urgent patient care remains unaffected.
The indefinite strike by Delhi hospitals came after a call from the Federation of Resident Doctors' Association (FORDA) as a protest against the rape and murder of the postgraduate trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical College in the West Bengal capital while on duty.
Kolkata rape-murder case
Notably, the semi-naked body of the 32-year-old resident doctor was found in the seminar hall of the government-run hospital in Kolkata on Thursday night.
The RDA statement read, "As a mark of solidarity with our colleagues at RG Kar, we announce a nationwide suspension of elective services in hospitals starting Monday, August 12. This decision is not made lightly but is necessary to ensure that our voices are heard and that the demands for justice and safety are addressed without further delay."
(WIth PTI Inputs)
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