New Delhi: Indian Medical Association (IMA) national president Dr Asokan on Saturday said the time was ripe for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene in the rape and murder case of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, adding that he would write to the Prime Minister.
“Yes, we will write to the Prime Minister. We will write to the Prime Minister. The time is ripe for his intervention… This (that PM Modi mentioned women’s safety in his August 15 speech) is certainly an aspect that shows that he is concerned. It would be very appropriate to write to the Prime Minister. IMA will do that,” Asokan told ANI.
“We have met with the Minister of Health. Now it is up to the government to react. They will now have the political will to do so. Because what we are asking for is not something that is beyond their capabilities. We are asking for a very basic right, the right to life,” he added.
Asokan said that doctors from all sectors were protesting against the rape and murder case of a junior doctor in Kolkata.
“The response from all parts of the country is overwhelming. Doctors are united against this injustice. The protest is there, it is taking care of the emergency services and the injured. The medical profession is united across the country. In all sectors, whether private, government or corporate, doctors are protesting. We are giving international attention to this issue because it is about women’s safety,” he said.
“We expect a gesture from the government because this is a very fundamental issue of security, especially the security of women. Not only the security of our doctors, but of the entire working class of women. Public opinion in the country and the momentum it has unleashed have given rise to a movement for greater security,” added the IMA President.
After the IMA announced a nationwide strike in the wake of the rape and murder incidents at RG Kar Medical College, doctors at the All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi held a protest march on the campus on Saturday.
Doctors were seen holding signs and shouting slogans such as “We want justice.”
IMA General Secretary Dr Anil Kumar J Nayak said they were confident that the government would pass the law they demanded.
“Our junior doctors and interns held a Maha rally yesterday. 4,000-5,000 doctors participated in it… Everyone is agitated and demanding security. They are demanding the CPA, the Central Protection Act… We have met Union Minister JP Nadda and will continue to meet other authorities. They are optimistic but there is nothing concrete from them yet… We hope they will pass the law we are demanding,” he said.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has declared a 24-hour suspension of benefits for all advanced medical practitioners in the country, irrespective of their sector and place of work, in response to nationwide outrage over the rape and murder of a second-year doctor at RG Kar Medical College.
While emergency and casualty care will be ensured, the IMA said that no OPDs or elective surgeries will be conducted from 6:00 am on Saturday to 6:00 am on Sunday, August 18, 2024.
On August 9, a junior doctor was raped and murdered while on duty at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata, sparking nationwide strikes and protests by the medical fraternity.
The incident sparked massive protests. On Wednesday, the protest site and RG Kar hospital premises were vandalised by a mob, forcing security personnel to disperse the crowd.
