In the wake of the recent rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor in Kolkata, doctors across the country staged protests on Monday. Amid this, doctors from AIIMS Bhopal and junior doctors from government medical colleges in Bhopal have decided to go on strike on Tuesday, August 13. According to a statement, OPD, OT, ward duties, lab services, and classes will remain closed indefinitely. Only emergency services will continue to operate for patients, the statement added.
The incident that triggered these protests occurred in Kolkata, where a female trainee doctor was brutally raped and murdered. A two-member team of the National Commission for Women (NCW) this afternoon arrived in Kolkata to meet city police commissioner Vineet Goyal and the family members of the victim. The police have arrested the suspect in the murder of the female doctor.
Students Association AIIMS Bhopal issues statement
"We are intimating with a heavy heart to address a tragic and deeply disturbing incident that has recently taken place at RG KAR Medical College. As you may be aware of a postgraduate student at the institution was brutally raped and murdered. This horrific incident has shocked and devastated the entire medical fraternity. The circumstances surrounding this incident are profoundly troubling and have sent shockwaves not only to the medical fraternity but the broader society as well as highlighting an urgent need for us to stand together in support of the affected residents and to demand justice," said a statement released by Students Association AIIMS Bhopal.
"In light of this tragedy and in solidarity with our colleagues, we support the nationwide indefinite suspension of elective services (OPDs, Elective OTs, Ward duties and Lab Services) and classes Starting Tuesday, 13th August. However, the Emergency Services will continue as usual," the statement said.
We are closely monitoring the current situation and the ongoing agitation in Kolkata and other parts of West Bengal. Students Association AIIMS Bhopal extends its full support to our fellow residents in West Bengal who are participating in this expression of solidarity, demanding an immediate, impartial, and transparent investigation into this heinous crime," the statement added.
Kolkata doctor's rape-murder
Earlier on Monday, resident doctors at government hospitals across the country held protests recent rape-murder of the trainee doctor in Kolkata, with those in West Bengal and Delhi going on an indefinite strike that hit OPD services and non-emergency surgeries. The move comes in response to a call from the Federation of Resident Doctors' Association (FORDA) which said the "strike won't stop unless justice is served and our demands are met". West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee pledged to transfer the case to the CBI if the state police fail to solve it by Sunday.
