Kolkata rape case: PGI resident doctors strike OPD work for one hour
In solidarity with the protesting medical staff in Kolkata, resident doctors working in the OPD of the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) protested from 8am to 10 am today by going on a strike and forming human chains with posters in their hands.
The protesting resident doctors held posters which read ‘beti padhaya, par bacha nahi paye’, ‘a black Friday’ and ‘now is not the time for silence’. They have been demanding the enactment of a Central Protection Act to ensure better security for the medical staff and stringent punishment for anyone indulging in violence against them.
The OPD services, which start at 9 am in the medical institution, were handled by the senior doctors or consultants and the resident doctors arrived one hour late at 10 am.
“After the assurance by the judiciary, the medical staff has called off the strike and joined duties. It has been over a month now and the justice has not been delivered. Hence, we had decided to support the call given by All India Residents and Junior Doctors’ Joint Action Forum to observe one hour pen-down strike in the OPD and form human chains to protest and seek justice for the victim and our fraternity,” said Dr Perugu Praneeth Reddy, joint secretary of the Association of Resident Doctors, PGIMER.
“We demand a Central Protection Act for our safety. The government should ensure our safety since we are the ones striving for people’s welfare. The way West Bengal Government has been dealing with this case and threatening the medical fraternity instead of ensuring justice is totally unacceptable. We stand by the protesting medical staff in Kolkata and across the nation. The people should come in support of our demands,” said a young resident doctor.
