Centre Urges Doctors To End Strike, Assures To Form Panel For Medicos' Safety

The Union Health Ministry has urged doctors to call off their nationwide strike, which was organised in response to the horrific rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Hospital.

The Ministry assured that a committee would be formed to propose safety measures for healthcare professionals, with input from all relevant stakeholders, including state governments.

Photo Credit: PTI

This appeal came after the Indian Medical Association (IMA) initiated a 24-hour strike starting at 6 am on Saturday, protesting the brutal incident.

The strike, which will continue until 6 am on Sunday, has led to the suspension of all health services, except for essential and emergency care.

The medical community is demanding justice, an overhaul of resident doctors' working and living conditions, and the implementation of a central law to protect healthcare professionals from workplace violence.

Union Health Ministry officials met with representatives from the Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA), the IMA, and Resident Doctors' Associations of Government Medical Colleges and Hospitals in Delhi.

During the meeting, these associations expressed deep concerns about the safety and security of healthcare workers, presenting their demands for swift and decisive action to protect medical professionals from violence and other threats.

In response, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare reassured the representatives that the government is fully aware of the challenges faced by healthcare workers and is committed to addressing these issues.

The Ministry highlighted that 26 states have already enacted legislation to safeguard healthcare workers, demonstrating the government's sensitivity to the matter.

"The Ministry requested the agitating doctors to resume their duties in the larger public interest and in view of the rising cases of Dengue and Malaria," reads the official statement.