Doctors protest across nation against medic's rape-murder
West Bengal and across the country on Saturday started a 24-hour nationwide strike to protest the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at the government-run RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata last week.
The protest was called by the Indian Medical Association (IMA), the largest organisation of medical staff in the country, which has placed five demands including justice for the victim, a central law to protect healthcare workers from violence at workplaces, and a thorough overhaul of the working and living conditions of resident doctors.
The West Bengal government, meanwhile, issued detailed guidelines and measures to be taken at hospitals, medical colleges and all workplaces for women across the state with the aim to provide safe working conditions, and launched a flagship programme, 'Rattirer Shaathi' (Helpers of night).
The night protocol, accompanied by an app, should be implemented in all workplaces, and the state urged private sector companies to follow it.
Announcing the 24-hour strike, IMA had clarified that all essential services will be maintained and casualties will be manned. However, routine OPDs will not function and elective surgeries will not be conducted during the protest, it had said.
Doctors and health workers held rallies across cities in almost all states including New Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Ranchi, Lucknow and Chennai.
Even Dhaka University students organised protests under the banner 'Awaaz Tolo Nari' (Raise your voice, women), showing solidarity with Indian protesters against the rape
