The protest by doctors in Delhi over the rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata entered its fifth day on Friday, with all elective services remaining suspended. The strike has severely impacted major hospitals in the city, including AIIMS, Safdarjung, and RML, causing significant inconvenience to patients.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has announced a 24-hour nationwide withdrawal of services by all modern medicine doctors, regardless of their sector or workplace.
The strike will begin at 6 am on Saturday, August 17, and end at 6 am on Sunday, August 18. During this period, emergency and casualty services will remain operational, but outpatient services (OPDs) and elective surgeries will be suspended.
The medical organisation has further demanded a central law to declare hospitals as safe zones, with mandatory security measures.
Doctors and medical students at the All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi had demanded a Central Protection Act for healthcare workers.
The doctors, who had been demonstrating inside their respective hospitals, united for a massive protest outside Nirman Bhawan as part of their indefinite strike. Nirman Bhawan houses the Ministry of Health among other departments.
During the protest, doctors held posters and banners and chanted slogans such as ‘We want justice’, ‘No safety, no duty’, and ‘Awaz do, hum ek hain’ to express their anger and concerns about their safety.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA), Delhi Medical Associations (DMA), various healthcare organisations, and private doctors carried out a candlelight march at India Gate on Friday evening.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police issued prohibitory orders in central areas of the national capital amid protest calls by multiple organisations against the Kolkata rape-murder case on Friday, officials stated.
The deployment of police personnel has been increased, and Section 163 (prohibitory orders) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) has been imposed near Parliament and other parts of central Delhi, they said.