119 doctors in West Bengal resign over violence

A total of 119 doctors of North Bengal Medical College and Hospital in Darjeeling have resigned over alleged violence against them in the state.

Various medical bodies called doctors' strike across the country as a mark of protest over the rising violence against their fraternity.

Meanwhile, Indian Medical Association (IMA) called for a nationwide withdrawal of non-emergency services including OPD on June 17 to protest against the assault on a junior doctor in Kolkata and sought a central law for ensuring protection to doctors against violence in hospitals.

"Since no resolution is coming across after all the solidarity shown by the medical fraternity, IMA calls for the withdrawal of all non-emergency services including OPDs on Monday, June 17 across the nation in all healthcare institutions and all the medical colleges," Dr R V Ashokan, Secretary General of IMA said in a press conference in New Delhi.

He also said they have called the entire medical fraternity (even private hospitals) to join the protest on Monday.

On Thursday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had asked agitating junior doctors in the state to resume work within four hours. She had appealed to protesting doctors in the state to get back to work and ensure that hospitals can run "smoothly and peacefully".

However, the protesting doctors have not called off the strike yet and are demanding adequate security in every medical college and hospital.

Doctors in other parts of the country including Delhi and other cities staged protests and boycotted work in solidarity with their colleagues in West Bengal. Doctors at Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) were seen wearing helmets and bandages as they attended to patients.

This comes after resident doctors in West Bengal went on strike to protest against the alleged assault on a Junior Doctor of NRS Hospital and College on June 10 to which doctors across various states have lent support.