Hospitals and clinics across India turned away patients, except for emergency cases, on Saturday as medical professionals launched a 24-hour shutdown to protest the brutal rape and murder of a doctor in Kolkata.
Over one million doctors were expected to join the strike, disrupting medical services across the world’s most populous nation. Faculty staff from medical colleges were called in to handle emergency cases in affected hospitals.
Following a meeting with representatives of medical associations, the government issued a statement on Saturday urging doctors to return to their duties in the public interest.
The strike was sparked by the horrific rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor last week inside the medical college where she worked in Kolkata. The incident triggered nationwide protests among doctors and drew parallels to the infamous 2012 gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old student on a bus in New Delhi.
The strike, which began at 6 a.m. (0030 GMT), halted elective medical procedures and out-patient consultations, according to a statement from the Indian Medical Association (IMA).
“Junior doctors are all on strike, meaning 90% of doctors are participating,” said Sanjeev Singh Yadav, an IMA representative from Telangana.
Outside the RG Kar Medical College, where the crime occurred, there was a heavy police presence on Saturday, while the hospital grounds remained deserted, according to ANI news agency.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has supported the protests, demanding a fast-tracked investigation and the strongest possible punishment for the guilty.
Many private clinics and diagnostic centers in Kolkata remained closed on Saturday. Dr. Sandip Saha, a private pediatrician in the city, told Reuters he would only attend to emergency cases.
Hospitals and clinics in cities like Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Guwahati, and Chennai also joined the strike, marking one of the largest shutdowns of hospital services in recent memory.
Harsh Punishment Demanded
Patients lined up at hospitals, with many unaware of the strike and unable to receive medical attention.
“I spent 500 rupees ($6) on travel to come here. I suffer from paralysis and a burning sensation in my feet, head, and other parts of my body,” said an unidentified patient at SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack, Odisha, to local television.
“We were not aware of the strike. What can we do? We have to return home.”
Raghunath Sahu, 45, who was waiting at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, told Reuters that the daily quota for patient consultations ended before noon.
“I brought my ailing grandmother, but they didn’t see her today. I’ll have to wait another day and try again,” Sahu said as he left the queue.
India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is handling the case, has summoned several medical students from RG Kar College to determine the circumstances of the crime, according to a police source in Kolkata. The CBI also questioned the hospital principal on Friday, with further questioning continuing on Saturday, local television reported. One suspect is in the agency’s custody.
Despite the government’s introduction of tougher criminal laws following the Delhi gang rape, activists argue that little has changed. Rising anger over the failure of these laws to curb violence against women has fueled protests by doctors and women’s groups.
“Women form the majority of our profession in this country. Time and again, we have asked for safety for them,” IMA President R. V. Asokan told Reuters on Friday.
The IMA has called for further legal measures to protect healthcare workers from violence and demanded a swift investigation into the “barbaric” crime in Kolkata.
“The punishment should be the harshest possible and delivered swiftly, while public memory is still fresh,” said senior criminal lawyer Shobha Gupta, who represented a Muslim woman gang-raped during the 2002 religious riots in Gujarat.
“When we are still angry about the crime, the result should come out. Punishment, to be a deterrent, should come faster.”
The government announced that a committee would be established to propose measures for improving the protection of healthcare professionals.
