Amid the uproar over the rape and murder of a female postgraduate trainee doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, major hospitals across the country, those members of the Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA), on Monday, August 12, began halting elective services at the hospital for an indefinite period.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), hospitals including four from the national capital—Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, Lady Hardinge Medical College, Maulana Azad Medical College, and VMMC & Safdarjung Hospital—have first announced their support for FORDA's decision to commence the nationwide agitation as a mark of solidarity with the colleagues of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, where the tragic incident occurred.
"We shall begin our nationwide agitation"
It is pertinent to note that FORDA first announced its decision to halt elective services nationwide on Sunday as a mark of support for the doctors at the Kolkata State government hospital where the tragic incident transpired.
"As a mark of our solidarity with the colleagues of RG Kar, we announce a nationwide halt of elective services in hospitals starting Monday. 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," FORDA stated earlier.
It further also presented five demands to the authorities, including the expeditious acceptance of residents' demands, no police brutality, swift justice for the deceased, security protocols for healthcare workers, and the formation of an expert committee to expedite the ratification of the Central Healthcare Protection Act in the aftermath of the incident.
Moreover, the Resident Doctors' Association also called on the authorities not to politicize their agitation or tarnish its cause. "It’s humanity that is at stake here," FORDA emphasized.
"We request everyone to collectively support and help doctors—they're wounded from within," the statement added.
'West Bengal Govt Appoints New Vice-Principal of RG Kar Medical College'
Meanwhile, in the wake of the incident, the West Bengal government has appointed Professor Dr. Bulbul Mukhopadhyay as the new Medical Superintendent cum Vice-Principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, replacing the former Medical Superintendent cum Vice-Principal, who has been transferred to Calcutta National Medical College as a Professor in Physiology.
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