Nationwide protest against attack on doctors

Doctors across India took to the streets and have halted medical services in support of the nationwide protest on Friday to demand protection amidst the ongoing strike by the junior doctors at NRS Medical College and Hospital (NRSMCH) in West Bengal.

This comes nearly four days after a junior doctor at the Kolkata hospital was allegedly attacked by the relative of a patient who died on June 10.

The resident doctors at Raipur's Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Memorial Hospital raised slogans on the streets in protest against the incident in Kolkata.

Doctors at North Bengal Medical College in Siliguri have also joined the strike as have the medical practitioners affiliated with Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD).

The doctors of AIIMS Delhi meanwhile halted health services leading to inconvenience to thousands of patients. The Resident Doctors' Association, Safdarjung Hospital also took out a protest march in the morning.

In cities like Jaipur, doctors have carried on with their duties wearing black bands as a mark of the protest, the members of Indian Medical Association, Trivandrum, on the other hand, held protests over the alleged violence.

Doctors with 'Save the Saviour' and 'Stand with NRSMCH' protested at the Government Medical College in Nagpur.

Meanwhile, students of NRSMCH have continued their sit-in protest on Friday despite West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's appeal to the doctors to get back to work and ensure that hospitals can run "smoothly and peacefully" on Thursday.

Apart from demanding strong actions against the culprits of the NRSMCH incident, the medical organisations are pressing for strong legislation and are also demanding a safe working environment for medical practitioners.