In support of West Bengali doctors who are protesting the horrific rape and murder of a young doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has declared a nationwide 24-hour hunger strike for October 15, 2024. The IMA is part of a larger movement that includes the hunger strike, which aims to support the ongoing protest by junior doctors in the state and demand justice for the victim.
The Junior Doctors Network (JDN) and Medical Students Network of IMA will spearhead the hunger strike. On October 15, junior doctors would fast for the entire day from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. throughout India. In cooperation with Resident Doctors’ Associations (RDAs), this demonstration will be backed by a number of neighborhood initiatives. The president of the IMA, RV Asokan, visited the fasting doctors to provide support as part of the organization’s active national response to the crisis. Strong support has also been demonstrated by IMA Bengal, whose local branches observed their own protests on October 13 by fasting.
Junior physicians in West Bengal have been fasting till they die as part of the ongoing doctors’ protest, which is now in its ninth day. Three doctors have been admitted to the hospital because of their declining health, making the situation dire. The doctors who are demonstrating are calling for improved safety protocols at medical facilities as well as justice for the victim. The West Bengal government, in particular Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, has been urged by the IMA to take the physicians’ requests seriously and find a solution to the problem.
Doctors in West Bengal’s private hospitals have announced a partial cease-work protest in addition to the hunger strike. Starting at 6 a.m. on October 14 and ending at 6 a.m. on October 16, this work stoppage will take place. In private hospitals, only emergency care will be offered during this time as medical professionals fight for their rights to be met.
The IMA’s campaign is a response to the growing dissatisfaction of the medical community regarding workplace safety and conditions in healthcare facilities. The purpose of the state-wide hunger strike is to raise awareness of these problems and put pressure on the government to act right away in order to provide the victim with justice and improve safety for medical personnel in the state.
With tremendous public support for the cause of the junior physicians and extensive involvement, this protest is among the biggest of the past few years.
SOURCE :
NDTV
