Kolkata rape case: Doctors demand "concrete safety of healthcare workers" as protests intensifies
Aug 14, 2024
New Delhi [India], August 14 : As the gruesome details of the Kolkata rape-murder created outrage among doctors all over the country, President of the Resident Doctors Association Dr Indra Shekhar Prasad on Wednesday said that unless there is concrete assurance of their safety, the doctors will continue with the strike.
Prasad while speaking to ANI said, "What happened in Kolkata is not the only incident of its kind. Many such cases are happening on a daily basis in the country... Being a doctor is one of the noblest professions, we work in a temple-like atmosphere, and if doctors are not safe, how will the patients feel safe?"
"Till the time we get concrete assurance of a long-term and strict law for the safety and security of doctors, health workers, and hospitals, we will continue with our strike," he added.
Non-emergency surgeries were hit all over the country as hundreds of doctors took to the streets to protest against the Kolkata rape-murder of a post-graduate trainee (PGT) doctor.
Vice-President of the Resident Doctors Association, AIIMS, Dr Suvrankar Datta said that a legal provision must be brought in for the safety of doctors.
"Our primary demand is to work on the security lapse in the medical infrastructure of the country... What happened in Kolkata can happen with anyone. We demand the Central Government to bring a Central Protection Act on an immediate basis, or either give us a written assurance that a legal provision to ensure the safety of healthcare workers will be brought soon," Dr Suvrankar Datta said while speaking to ANI.
Earlier, on Tuesday the CBI took over the investigation of the case as ordered by the Calcutta High Court after arriving in Kolkata.
The OPD services of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital continue to remain closed on Wednesday as junior doctors while the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) is continuing its nationwide shutdown of OPD services over the incident.
The post-graduate trainee doctor was found dead in the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9. The family has alleged that the victim was raped and murdered.
