Health services hit as docs hold protests in Punjab, Haryana against Kolkata rape-murder

Chandigarh: Doctors held protests at many places in Punjab and Haryana on Saturday against the alleged rape and murder of a trainee woman doctor at a hospital in Kolkata and demanded safety for healthcare professionals at workplaces.

Outpatient department services remained non-functional and elective surgeries were also not conducted at hospitals in the two states but emergency services were not affected, according to the protesting doctors.

Healthcare services were severely affected with many patients claiming that they could not find doctors at hospitals for consultations.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has given a nationwide call for the withdrawal of non-emergency services for 24 hours from 6 am on Saturday to protest against the alleged rape and murder at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata and the subsequent vandalism at the facility.

Punjab Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh called a meeting with IMA representatives, Punjab Civil Medical Services and faculty on Monday to discuss the issue of healthcare professionals' safety.

Singh said the state government stands by doctors and it will resolve all their issues on priority.

Meanwhile, the protest of resident doctors at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh entered the sixth day on Saturday. OPD services for both old and new patients remained closed but emergency and critical care services continued.

Dr Perugu Praneeth Reddy, the joint secretary of the Association of Resident Doctors, PGIMER, said the faculty and nursing staff of the institute joined the protest.

The Faculty Association of PGIMER, Chandigarh, is also supporting the strike call given by the IMA.

The IMA's Punjab Unit advisor Navjot Dahiya said doctors are holding a protest against the rape and murder of the trainee woman doctor in Kolkata.

Wearing black badges, medical professionals held sit-ins at many places in Patiala, Amritsar, Faridkot and Ludhiana, demanding justice for the victim in Kolkata and safety for doctors.

Demanding that hospitals be declared safe zones, protesting doctors said sufficient security arrangements need to be made for the safety of healthcare professionals.

In Punjab's Hoshiarpur, doctors from private hospitals held a protest in response to the IMA's call for a strike.

A march was also organised by several members of the IMA, Indian Dental Association, Punjab Civil Medical Association, Nursing Association, and Pharmacist Association, Hoshiarpur, to express solidarity with the Kolkata rape-murder victim.

Malkit Singh, a resident of Tagore Nagar and Sukhwinder Singh of Sham Chaurasi said they were unaware of the doctors' strike and their visit to a hospital in Hoshiarpur for eye treatment went in vain.

In Patiala, the son of a patient, who had come from Barnala, said he could not get medicine for his father suffering from cardiac ailments.

The Aam Aadmi Party MP Dr Raj Kumar, who is also a member of the IMA's Hoshiarpur unit, joined the protest.

IMA's Hoshiarpur unit president Dr Balwinderjit Singh condemned the alleged rape and murder at the Kolkata hospital and highlighted concerns over the safety of doctors, particularly women, working in hospitals across the country.

Although the Punjab Protection of Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage to Property) Act is in force, Singh lamented the police's reluctance to register cases under this law.

He urged the government to take immediate steps to ensure the safety of medical professionals in their workplaces.

Dr Rajinder Sharma, a member of the IMA, said that repeated requests to the Union government to enact a law for stringent punishment for those who commit violence in medical establishments have gone unheard.

If the perpetrators of the alleged rape and murder of the trainee doctor in Kolkata are not arrested soon, IMA members may be forced to go on an indefinite strike, he warned.

In Haryana's Ambala, private nursing homes and clinics observed the strike. Dr Rajiv Aggarwal, secretary of IMA Ambala, said a memorandum expressing doctors' concerns over their safety at workplaces has been submitted to the deputy commissioner.