Surgeries and outpatients department (OPD) services were badly disrupted on Saturday in different government and private sector hospitals across the state as the Indian Medical Association (IMA) withdrew services for 24 hours from 6 am today to protest against rape and murder of their 31-year-old woman colleague in the chest medicine department at R G kar Medical College Hospital.

Officials at many private hospitals and nursing homes said that planned surgeries scheduled today have been rescheduled and cancelled owing to the strike called by the IMA across the country.

On Wednesday, many doctors attached to private healthcare facilities had stayed away from the OPD duty demanding justice in protest against the R G Kar Hospital incident.

Doctors, under the banner of the association, today brought out a protest rally in the city today demanding exemplary punishment for the culprits involved in the incident.

On the other hand, junior doctors, interns and medical students of government medical colleges in the state have also threatened to continue their ongoing cease-work programme since last week demanding justice for the victim of the R G Kar Hospital and at the safety and security for doctors while on duty in hospitals.

They also demanded the resignations of the commissioner of police (CP) Vineet Goyal, deputy commissioner of police (DCP) A Gupta, officer-in-charge (OC) of Tala police station and current principal of the teaching hospital Prof (Dr) Suhrita Paul otherwise they would continue their cease-work programme in both OPDs and emergency wards in government hospitals.

Agitating interns, junior doctors and postgraduate trainee (PGT) doctors on Wednesday stuck to their decision to continue an ongoing cease-work programme in government medical colleges and hospitals across the state demanding their safety and security while they are on duty.

Large number of nurses at R G Kar Hospital today stopped work after the hospital authorities allegedly forced them to transfer in remote districts if they participated in the ongoing agitation programme by the junior doctors.

“The emergency services are on. But unless we protest, the victim will not get justice. We are sorry for the inconvenience caused to some patients,” some junior doctors said.

The state government on Tuesday has made an appeal to the striking junior doctors and interns to resume work and restore normal healthcare services in medical colleges and hospitals for the welfare of common people.

Normal services in government hospitals have been badly affected owing to the cease-work. Patients rushing hospitals in the city districts are denied medical treatment.

Planned surgeries in teaching hospitals are also being severely disrupted today owing to strikes organized by the agitating junior doctors and IMA.

Patients at the cancer OPD at the Calcutta Medical College Hospital (MCH) had a harrowing day today when they found no doctors and other medical staff there.

Patients who came from Nadia, Sundarbans area, Bagnan and districts in north Bengal had to go back after prolonged waiting at the OPD clinic.