Doctors go on 24-hour nation-wide strike, IMA seeks 'airport-like' security

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) said all essential services would continue and casualties would be attended to as usual

Doctors from both government and private hospitals across the country have launched a nation-wide strike on a call given by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) in protest against alleged rape and murder of a trainee woman doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.

Most non-emergency medical services will be suspended for 24 hours starting at 6AM on Saturday.

On Friday, the IMA presented five demands: a complete revamp of the working and living conditions for resident doctors, and the enactment of a central law to check violence against healthcare professionals.

The IMA assured that essential services would continue and casualties would be attended to as usual.

What are the IMA’s five demands?

1. The IMA called for a comprehensive improvement in the working and living conditions for resident doctors, highlighting issues such as the 36-hour shifts and inadequate rest areas that contributed to the tragedy at RG Kar hospital.

2. The IMA urged the implementation of a central act incorporating the 2023 amendments to the Epidemic Diseases Act of 1897 into the proposed Hospital Protection Bill of 2019. This would enhance existing protections in 25 states, with the association also suggesting that an ordinance similar to the one used during the Covid-19 pandemic could be effective.

3. The IMA demanded a thorough and professional investigation into the crime, with a defined timeframe for justice, as well as the identification and punishment of those responsible for vandalising Kolkata's RG Kar Hospital on the night of August 14.

4. The association proposed that hospital security measures be upgraded to match airport standards. This includes declaring hospitals as safe zones, implementing mandatory security features, installing CCTVs, and deploying security personnel.

5. The IMA sought a fair and dignified compensation for the victim's family, reflecting the severity of the crime.

Mob vandalises emergency ward

In the early hours of August 15, just after midnight, a group of unidentified miscreants gained entry to the state-operated RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, causing extensive damage throughout the facility.

This incident occurred at the same location where a doctor had been raped and killed. The vandalism aligned with midnight protests organised by women in response to the heinous crime. Posing as protestors, the group damaged hospital property and threw stones at the police.