New Delhi: The rape and murder of a post-graduate trainee doctor in Kolkata continued to evoke sharp reactions from doctors across the country with a large number of them going on with the strike for the second consecutive day on Tuesday even as some patients complained of being turned away from hospitals.
The strike of doctors at AIIMS continued in the national capital for the second day where only patients with prior appointments were being treated while those who reached the hospital from faraway places without prior bookings were turned away.
Around a thousand resident doctors holding banners and posters marched through the hospital premises chanting "no safety, no duty" and "justice for victims".
The protest is part of a nationwide indefinite strike call by the Federation of Resident Doctors' Association (FORDA) after the 32-year-old postgraduate trainee doctor was raped and murdered at the RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata while on duty last Thursday.
Doctors across Uttar Pradesh struck work and staged demonstrations. Doctors at KG Medical University (KGMU), Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences in Lucknow held demonstrations demanding stern action against the accused and also sought steps to ensure safety of the doctors.
KGMU resident doctors warned that they would proceed on an indefinite strike if their five-point demands, which included proper security arrangements near the girls hostels, CCTV installation inside the wards and ban on the entry of males in the cabins of lady doctors, were not met by the hospital administration.
Demonstrations by the doctors were also reported from Varanasi, Prayagraj, Jhansi, Kanpur, Agra, Meerut and other places in Uttar Pradesh.
In Kerala, various forums of doctors and PG medical students staged protests in connection with the Kolkata incident.
The Kerala Medical Post-Graduates Association submitted a memorandum to Health Minister Veena George demanding an immediate security audit at all medical colleges in the state.
"No security audit has been done at the medical colleges so far despite many untoward incidents. Though some improvements were made in the security systems, still there are many loopholes. Hence most medical colleges in Kerala are potential space for untoward incidents," the association said in the memorandum.
The Association also urged the Kerala government to put pressure on the West Bengal government to meet the demands of resident doctors in Kolkata while warning that they would be forced to join hands with their counterparts and go on a strike till the demands are met.
Doctors and students of Agartala Government Medical College staged a demonstration demanding exemplary punishment for the guilty. Medical services at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) remained partially shut as resident doctors continued their strike for the second day.
Junior doctors at state-run Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi boycotted OPD services and elective surgeries while in Jaipur, medical services at government facilities, including the Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital, were affected as resident doctors went on a strike in protest. Resident doctors in Maharashtra began an indefinite strike in support of the nationwide protests.
Members of the Telangana Junior Doctors Association (T-JUDA) and the Resident Doctors Association (RDA) observed a candlelight vigil in all medical colleges across Telangana on Monday in solidarity with the rape and murder of a second-year PG student at R G Kar Medical College in Kolkata.
They observed silent protests at Gandhi Hospital, Osmania General Hospital, and Osmania Medical College in Hyderabad, as well as at government medical colleges in other places. Government hospitals in Guntur, Vijayawada, and Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh too witnessed protests. Visitors to out patient wards encountered some challenging circumstances for a period of time due to these protests.