In light of the recent rape and murder of a resident doctor in Kolkata, resident doctors from multiple hospitals in Delhi, including centrally-run facilities All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital and Safdarjung Hospital, have begun an indefinite strike, suspending all elective services on Monday.
Resident doctors especially female doctors in RML hospital expressed their feelings about working in state of fear because of the lackadaisical attitude of the authorities while carrying placards with ‘Nahi chahiye, Nahi chahiye, agli Nirbhaya nahi chahiye’, 'we want a safe environment to work’, 'we want justice’ and ‘Nirbhaya 2.0’ written on them.
Senior Resident Doctor in RML’s Neurology department Dr Kumari Archana said raised concerns about her safety while working late and said, “How will we work in such an environment where a doctor isn’t safe in their workplace? This is not about doctors, this is also about a woman who will have to work in conditions where she doesn’t feel safe?”
Urging everyone to come together like they did in the Nirbhaya rape case, she said, “The authorities do not care about our safety. Over the period of a year guards were reduced and bouncers, that are there to ensure safety in emergency situation, were removed. Moreover, the guards do not have any weapon to protect us.”
Another protesting doctor recounted an instance when a patient misbehaved with her. “Such is our condition that when we scold a patient for misbehaving then he retorts back saying we will see you outside. We used to feel scared going outside but now we are not even safe inside.”
According to the Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA), during the indefinite strike, all outpatient departments (OPDs), operation theatres (OTs), and ward duties will be shut, but emergency services will continue to operate as usual, ensuring that urgent patient care remains unaffected.
Female doctors also shared that with the recent incident their family feel worried all the time too. “My mother calls me asking me to be safe but how do I ensure that all the time. This is like our second home. However, even our home isn’t safe for us. Everyone talks about women empowerment but when women work authorities don’t ensure their safety,” Dr Jasmine said. A male doctor claimed that when in the premier RML hospital the security measures are negligible, how female doctors will work elsewhere.
AIIMS' Resident Doctors' Association (RDA) joined FORDA in its nationwide strike against the trainee doctor's rape and murder in Kolkata. "We also want adequate compensation to be provided to the bereaved family of the victim. The horror of this atrocity, occurring in a place meant to heal and save lives, is a grim reminder of the severe threat faced by those who serve our society selflessly," said Dr Raghunandan Dixit, General Secretary of AIIMS RDA. Other hospitals where resident doctors are participating in the strike that began at 9 am include the Maulana Azad Medical College, Lady Hardinge Medical College, VMMC and Safdarjung Hospital, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, Institute of Human Behaviour, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences and Allied Sciences (IHBAS), Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Medical College, and National Institute of TB and Respiratory Diseases Hospital.
FORDA General Secretary Dr Sarvesh Pandey said, "We presented our demands to the Health Secretary, including the immediate removal of the principal of RG Kar Medical College, a CBI inquiry, a fast-track court (trial), and the formation of a committee to implement the Central Protection Act."
Dr Dhruv Chauhan, the national council member of the Indian Medical Association's Junior Doctors Network, said, "Unlike every time when the assault on doctors went unnoticed , the doctors nationwide won't stop this time unless justice is served and our demands are met."
"FORDA has decided halting of elective health services across the nation which is supported by all the doctors and medical associations. At a personal level, we also request the doctors to wear black ribbons as a mark of solidarity in support of the victim who lost her life," Chauhan added.
GTB Hospital RDA president Rajat Sharma said, "This is a matter of national concern and until we see concrete results, we will not back down. We will stand with our fellow students and offer our full support."
Referring to a recent killing of a person at GTB Hospital, he also pointed to security concerns at the hospital. RDA members have also met with Health Secretary Apurva Chandra, where they called for a CBI inquiry into the incident.Meanwhile, patients visiting out-patient departments of various Delhi government hospitals had to return without consultation. The strike has caused hardships to some individuals who had come from NCR towns of Ghaziabad, Gurugram, and Faridabad as early as 5 am to secure a spot in the queue. Lovekush, who brought his 55-year-old father Subhash Singh suffering from tuberculosis (TB), said, "My father is a TB patient. As the breadwinner in my family, I have to manage everything, and the day was wasted. I'm returning home with him without any check-up."
