‘No Safety, No Duty’: OPD Services Hit by Nationwide Doctors’ Protest

Doctors across India have halted work, except for emergency procedures, in a nationwide protest against the rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The protests have severely impacted outpatient department (OPD) services across the country, with healthcare workers demanding stricter security measures.

The Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA) announced a pause in elective services, describing the incident as a “travesty” in the history of the resident doctor community. In a letter to Union Health Minister JP Nadda, FORDA demanded the resignation of officials responsible for failing to protect the doctor and assurances that protesting doctors will not face manhandling.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) also sent a letter to Health Minister Nadda, urging the enactment of a central law to curb attacks on doctors and declaring hospitals as safe zones. Although 25 states have laws to prevent violence against doctors, the IMA noted that these are often ineffective. The association emphasized the need for a special central law to act as a deterrent.

In response to the protests, treatment at hospitals in Kolkata and across the country has been disrupted. Patients and their relatives have expressed frustration over the inconvenience caused by the strike. In Lucknow, doctors at King George’s Medical University marched to the OPD to stop work, leading to patients demanding treatment by banging on the OPD’s shut doors.

In Mumbai, doctors from prominent hospitals, including JJ Hospital, Sion Hospital, Nair Hospital, and King Edward Memorial Hospital, joined the protest. At AIIMS Delhi, daily surgeries have dropped by 80% and admissions by 35% due to the indefinite strike. AIIMS authorities have issued a circular urging doctors to return to work, citing a High Court order prohibiting protests on hospital premises.

A civic volunteer who frequently visited the hospital has been arrested in connection with the Kolkata doctor’s rape and murder. West Bengal’s Chief Minister has given the city police a deadline to complete the investigation, after which the state government may recommend a CBI probe.