Thiruvananthapuram: Patient care services across Kerala are expected to be disrupted on Friday due to a strike by senior resident doctors and postgraduate medical students to protest against the brutal rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata's R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital.
Emergency casualty services have been exempted from the strike. The Kerala Medical Post Graduate Association (KMPGA) has decided to boycott of all non-emergency services, including outpatient departments and ward duties.
The senior resident and postgraduate doctors have stated that the strike is also to demand swift enactment of the Central Protection Act. In addition to this, they are demanding the prompt arrest of all individuals implicated in the heinous crime and the resignation of the officials whose negligence allowed such a dreadful incident to occur, resulting in the death of a young doctor.
The KMPGA has threatened to continue their protests if their demands remain unaddressed. The strike has been called by the Joint Action Forum of doctors, which includes the KMPGA.
At the same time, the Kerala Government Medical Officers Association (KGMOA), the largest body of doctors in Kerala's government health services, has also called for the observance of a black day on Friday. The black day is being observed to protest against the brutal rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata.
The association has also demanded the implementation of the Central Protection Act to ensure the safety of doctors and other health professionals on duty.
The state unit of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has condemned the violence.
IMA state office bearers alleged that the violence occurred due to the repeated negligence of the authorities. The protesting doctors in Kolkata were attacked by goons at a time when the CBI was investigating the case.
The IMA said the incident was clear evidence of the breakdown of law and order. The association decided to convene an emergency meeting and announce further protest programs.
In Kerala, junior doctors, senior residents, KGMOA, and IMA have been actively demanding protection for doctors. Despite the implementation of a stringent act, the arrest and conviction of perpetrators remain rare. The state was shaken by the heinous murder of a 23-year-old female doctor, who was stabbed to death by an individual brought in for treatment at a hospital in Kottarakkara, Kollam district, on May 10, 2023.
