IMA General Secretary Anil Kumar J Nayak said on Friday that all members will participate in the strike.
New Delhi: As a mark of protest against the brutal rape and murder of a second-year trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata and the violence against protesting students, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has announced a nationwide 24-hour strike by doctors of modern medicine from 6 am on Saturday, August 17, to 6 am on Sunday, August 18. The IMA has urged for the support of the public for their cause.
What’s Open And What’s Closed During The Strike
- Most hospital departments will be closed
- Routine outpatient departments (OPDs) and elective surgeries will remain shut
- Essential services will remain operational including emergency care and critical treatments
- Casualty services will be functional to attend to any urgent medical need
- The strike will affect all areas in both public and private hospitals where modern medicine doctors are on duty
What Does IMA Say
Indian Medical Association (IMA) General Secretary Anil Kumar J Nayak said on Friday that all members will participate in the strike, while only emergency services will remain operational.
“All IMA members will observe strike tomorrow, only Emergency & Casualty services will be available. Three days ago, we spoke to Union Health Minister JP Nadda (on the law to curb attacks against doctors), and he was very positive. NMC also has issued circulars over the security and management of CCTV cameras. We say that we will do duty if there is security. Today, there are over 60% women doctors,” said Anil Kumar J Nayak.
“We met the victim’s family, who were treated poorly by the hospital administration. We urge the National Commission for Women to visit Kolkata. Although we haven’t been able to meet the Chief Minister, we’ve presented our demands, which include safety and security for women. All junior and resident doctors across the country are on strike. This is a crucial moment for unity; it’s a do-or-die situation,” he added.
Nationwide Withdrawal Of Services
A nationwide withdrawal of services has been announced by doctors of modern medicine starting from 6 am on Saturday, August 17 to 6 am Sunday, August 18, as per the official statement released by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Thursday.
The Faculty Association of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (FAIM) has also announced suspension of OPD and OT services on Saturday, August 17.
The Prelude
On August 9, a post-graduate trainee doctor was allegedly raped and murdered on duty at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata, which led to nationwide strikes and protests by the medical fraternity.
The incident triggered massive protests.
On Wednesday, the protest ground and the hospital campus at RG Kar were vandalised by a mob, forcing the security personnel to disperse the crowd.
Meanwhile, there has been nationwide outrage over the said incident.
(With ANI inputs)