AIIMS RDA calls off strike, insists on tough central law for doctors' security

The AIIMS Resident Doctors' Association on Tuesday called off their strike after the agitation by their colleagues in West Bengal ended, but remained steadfast on the demand for a tough central law for doctors' security.

"We sincerely hope that the central government shall soon bring in a new law on doctors' security as promised by Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr Harsh Vardhan..., failing which we would be forced to resort to strike in future," the RDA of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences here said in a release.

The decision by the RDA to go on strike was taken after a junior resident doctor at the emergency department of Jai Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Center (JPNATC), AIIMS, was allegedly abused by relatives of a patient in the wee hours of Sunday.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA), the country's largest medical body, had held a nationwide strike on June 17 against the alleged attacks on doctors in West Bengal.

The IMA has sought enactment of a law to protect doctors and amendments in the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). It has also demanded that security measures for hospitals be specified.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court will hear on Tuesday a PIL filed by advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava seeking safety and security of doctors in government hospitals across the country. He has sought strictest action against those who assaulted a junior doctor at NRS Hospital in Kolkata.