Kolkata rape-murder case: all medical services, except emergencies, will be suspended for 24 hours from 6 a.m. on August 17, says IMA Visakhapatnam

Kolkata rape-murder case: all medical services, except emergencies, will be suspended for 24 hours from 6 a.m. on August 17, says IMA Visakhapatnam

Indian Medical Association (IMA), Visakhapatnam chapter, and Indian Radiological & Imaging Association (IRIA), Visakhapatnam, have decided to suspend all services, except essential services including casualty care, from 6 a.m. on August 17 to 6 a.m. on August 18.

Announcing this at a media conference here on Friday evening, IMA A.P. State president J.C. Naidu and IMA Vizag president P.J. Srinivas said that the rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata on August 9 has sent shockwaves across the country. The suspension of services for 24 hours was being taken up in response to the call given by the IMA in response to the ongoing nationwide protests, they said.

The incident was a stark reminder of the growing violence against healthcare workers, particularly women. It also reflects the lack of amenities for healthcare professionals at the hospitals.

They noted that the protest was only a call for justice and an appeal to the government and the authorities concerned to ensure the safety of medical professionals across the country.

Dr. Srinivas demanded that the working conditions of junior doctors have to be improved and justice be done to the family members of the victim.

Dr. Naidu demanded that the laws to punish those indulging in rape, murder and attacks on doctors and healthcare workers be further strengthened to act as a deterrent. He said that the trainee doctor, who was gang-raped in Kolkata, was taking rest in the seminar hospital of KG Kar Hospital, after being on duty for 36 hours. There was no security and CC cameras in the hospital, which was a cause for concern among the doctors.

Demanding a judicial inquiry into the rape and murder, Dr. Naidu said that the IMA would support the protests, being organised by doctors associations across the country, till justice was done to the family of the victim.