The Resident Doctors Association (RDA) at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS Delhi) has announced that their strike will persist in response to the recent rape and murder of a junior doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. Despite the ongoing strike, emergency services and intensive care units (ICUs) will remain operational, the RDA confirmed.
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PRESS RELEASE
RDA AIIMS
NEW DELHI @MoHFW_INDIA @HMOIndia @PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/3fapcuShFk— RDAAIIMS DELHI (@AIIMSRDA) August 18, 2024
New OPD Services Outside Health Ministry
In addition to their strike, the RDA will offer elective outpatient department (OPD) services outside Nirman Bhawan, which houses the Ministry of Health, starting from 11 a.m. on Monday. This initiative will see resident doctors providing services across 36 specialties, including medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, ophthalmology, and orthopedics.
Highlighting Safety Concerns for Healthcare Workers
The primary aim of this protest is to draw attention to the inadequate security for healthcare professionals nationwide. The RDA has urged the government to implement a central ordinance to ensure the safety and security of healthcare workers and institutions. They have requested authorities to facilitate the necessary arrangements for their OPD services outside Nirman Bhawan.
Indefinite Strike and Plea for Government Intervention
Since August 12, AIIMS Delhi resident doctors have been on an indefinite strike, halting all elective and non-essential services, including OPDs and ward activities. On Sunday, the RDA wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking his intervention to enact a central law through an ordinance aimed at protecting healthcare workers. Their letter emphasizes the sanctity of hospitals as spaces of healing and the urgent need for protective measures.
Details of the Kolkata Incident
The tragic incident in Kolkata occurred on August 9, when a trainee doctor was brutally raped and murdered in a seminar hall at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The police have arrested Sanjoy Roy, the main suspect, but investigations are ongoing to determine if others were involved. The horrific crime has ignited widespread outrage and has sparked protests within the medical community and beyond.