Kerala’s medical community to join nation-wide protest against Kolkata rape and murder

Postgraduate medicos in Kerala strike in protest of doctor's rape and murder, demanding safety measures and justice.

Postgraduate medicos across the State, including senior residents, will strike work on Friday (August 16, 2024) and observe a day of mourning in protest against the brutal rape and murder of a young postgraduate doctor in RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata

Kerala Medical Post Graduates Association (KMPGA) has declared that they will boycott OP clinics and ward duties. However, emergency services in hospitals will not be affected.

The young doctors have demanded the implementation of a Central Act to protect healthcare workers against violence. They have also demanded that the perpetrators of the heinous crime be brought to book and that the authorities who are responsible for the lapses in security which led to the murder of the young woman be made to resign with immediate effect.

It may be recalled that the Centre has all along been disinterested in enacting a separate legislation to prevent violence against doctors and healthcare workers, even though a draft Bill, Healthcare Services Personnel and Clinical Establishments (Prohibition of Violence and Damage to Property) Bill, 2019 had been circulated amongst their MPs for consideration.

The Indian Medical Association has condemned the ongoing violence at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata, where young medicos priotesting against the gruesome murder and rape of their colleague are being targetted.

In a statement, IMA said that the college has now been vandalised by hooligans and that the authorities, who by their negligence had allowed such a heinous crime to be committed, have once again failed totally in maintaining law and order, that too at a time when the crucial CBI investigations are on.

“Such vandalism with impunity points to anarchy and breaking down of law and order. IMA condemns this mindless violence and are very apprehensive that crucial evidence may be lost”, the statement by IMA said.