Maharashtra Doctors Halt Services in Solidarity with Kolkata Medic Case

Elective procedures and outpatient department (OPD) services at public hospitals in Maharashtra were disrupted on Tuesday. This disruption was due to state resident doctors beginning an indefinite strike. They joined nationwide protests against the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee at a Kolkata medical college.

The body of the postgraduate trainee, who was allegedly raped and murdered inside a seminar hall of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, was found on Friday morning. A civic volunteer was arrested on Saturday in connection with the case.

Resident Doctors' Demands

Dr. Pratik Debaje, president of the Maharashtra State Association of Residential Doctors (Central MARD), stated that all elective services in hospitals across the state have been halted. However, emergency services will continue uninterrupted. "From 9 am, we stopped work at all OPDs and elective services have been stopped. Now, only emergency services are operational across the state," Dr. Debaje said.

Resident doctors of Pune's BJ Medical College also participated in the strike. Elective procedures were not performed, but emergency services remained unaffected at the government-run Sassoon General Hospital. MARD general secretary Akash Rade mentioned that around 450 resident doctors from Sassoon Hospital joined the strike.

Protests Across India

The shocking incident has sparked widespread nationwide protests, with junior doctors and healthcare workers expressing deep concern over their safety. Resident doctors of government hospitals in several parts of the country went on an indefinite strike on Monday to protest against the incident at the Kolkata-based medical facility, paralysing services such as OPDs and non-emergency surgeries.

The Central MARD has sought an impartial and transparent investigation into the Kolkata incident, speedy formation of an expert committee for implementation of the Central Healthcare Protection Act, improved security measures, including fully functional CCTVs and well-equipped guards, quality hostels, and proper on-call rooms for resident doctors.

Continuing Strike

MARD vice-president Dastgir Jamadar highlighted that one of the key demands of the trainee doctors was that the rape-murder case in Kolkata be transferred to the CBI, which has been done now. "Our other main demand is adequate security and safety of residents doctors with CCTV coverage," he said.

The Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) called for this strike, stating, "The strike will not be lifted until justice is served and our demands are met." Meanwhile, Central MARD on Tuesday night announced to continue the indefinite strike.

In a statement, Central MARD noted that despite a positive meeting with senior government officials earlier in the day, no concrete actions or written assurances were received regarding their demands. "As we have not yet received any concrete actions or written assurances regarding our demands, we have decided to continue the strike, maintaining the halt on elective services," the statement said.

Future Discussions

A follow-up meeting is scheduled on Wednesday with the deans of all medical colleges of Maharashtra. It will be chaired by Commissioner Medical Education and Director of Medical Education and Research (DMER). The statement mentioned that a delegation from Central MARD, JJ MARD representing doctors from state-run J J Hospital in Mumbai, and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) MARD attended the meeting where they presented their demands.

Along with other demands, Central MARD has also sought allocation of dedicated on-call rooms for on-duty resident doctors besides immediate resolution of pending hostel accommodation issues for physicians across Maharashtra.

This ongoing strike highlights significant concerns about safety and working conditions for resident doctors across India. The outcome of these discussions will be crucial for addressing these pressing issues.